A heart attack, aka myocardial infarction, happens when a part of the heart muscle doesn’t get enough blood.
The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart muscle.
There are a number of risk factors for heart attack, some of them—including age and family history—out of your control.
However, there are a number of everyday habits that can ultimately lead to the potentially deadly event. Read on so you don’t miss these signs.
1. Consumption of too much salty food
It is found that the people who consume foods high in sodium are part of your regular diet, are more likely to suffer from a stroke as it directly affects the heart. Eating too many salty foods can increase your risk of elevated blood pressure, a pre-existing condition that is responsible for more than 50 percent of stroke cases worldwide. People who consumed more than 4,000 mg of sodium on a daily basis are at more risk of stroke compared to those who ate 2,000 mg or less. 5 everyday
2. Not staying physically active
Staying physically active keeps your blood flowing and your heart strong. Everyone should aim to work out at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. There are many reasons why people may not be as active as they should be. However, the covid pandemic has given a lot of time to stay at home and make yourself fit. Exercising regularly is key to maintaining your heart health. Sometimes it can be boring, but you can try to make exercise fun, too.
3. Smoking
People who are habitual of smoking are in the category of high risk for heart disease. It includes all forms of tobacco which cause blockages in the artery leading to the brain. The study finds out that nicotine also raises blood pressure and thickens the blood, increasing the amount of plaque buildup in the arteries. Every time a person inhales a cigarette, he/she is putting over 5,000 chemicals into their body. One of these chemicals is carbon monoxide which decreases the amount of oxygen in your red blood cells, which damages your heart. Smoking is the cause of almost one-third of deaths from stroke in recent years.
4. Consumption of Alcohol
Drinking alcohol, binge drinking thins the blood, can significantly impact a person’s risk of stroke. In fact, since 1725 alcohol has been linked to stroke risk, likely because long-term drinking of more than two servings of alcohol per day can cause high blood pressure. Consuming one to two drinks a day can increase the risk of stroke by 10 to 15 percent. And more than four drinks a day increase the risk of stroke by up to 35 percent. Lately, it is also found that drinking alcohol is associated with a higher risk for ischemic stroke compared with patients who never drank alcohol or stopped drinking after their diagnosis.
5. Too much stressing over things
If you’re wondering if stress can cause a stroke, too, the answer is, unfortunately, yes. It’s known that stress from work, juggling with kids, dealing with your partner are factors that can turn into stress. All these factors can increase the chances of risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly high blood pressure and heart disease. And these days people are stressing over anything to everything due to their lifestyle. Stress can raise your blood pressure, which puts more strain on your heart and arteries and cause permanent damage.
