Heart health has always been at the top of the list for healthcare indicators. However, as we get older, it becomes even more critical. The reality is that heart disease remains a leading cause of death for most Americans due to the continued rise of risk factors. An essential factor to consider when thinking about heart health is your heart’s age.
Heart Age: Not Your Typical Number
Heart age estimates how healthy your heart is compared to your real age. This number considers key risk factors like high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking history, and overall lifestyle. If your heart age is older than your actual age, your heart is probably working harder than it should. Consequences of such findings may include an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
Measuring heart age helps determine the risk of heart disease for the individual. This measurement considers key risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and smoking. Other Risk factors include the following:
- Diabetes
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Diet
- Physical Activity
- Alcohol Use
- Family History
If your heart age is older than your current age, it is essential that you take the necessary steps to decrease your risk of heart disease. While factors like actual age and family history can’t be changed, the remainder can, as they depend on your lifestyle.
Take the Next Steps to Support Heart Health
Start with small but meaningful changes in your daily habits to significantly improve your heart health and decrease your heart age. Some helpful tips include:
- Quit Smoking: Smoking is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Limit Your Alcohol Intake: Excessive alcohol consumption can raise your blood pressure and contribute to heart problems.
- Manage Your Stress Levels: Too much stress increases the risk of a heart event. To decrease your stress levels, try relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.
- Better Your Sleeping Habits: The American Heart Association recommends 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Try to meet those hours or get as close to them as possible.
- Maintain a Healthy Diet: Eat vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats in your meals. Reduce your intake of saturated fats, processed foods and added sugars. There are many heart-friendly alternatives. Access a list of heart-healthy foods here.
- Engage in Regular Physical Activity: To manage weight, control blood pressure, and improve overall physical fitness, aim to participate in at least 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, 75 to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or a combination of both. You can find helpful resources here. Before you begin, talk with your healthcare provider about your new exercise plan.
- Monitor Your Health: Schedule routine check-ups with your doctor to assess cholesterol levels and blood pressure. You can also use health-monitoring tools like smartwatches to track your heart health over time.
All these habits apply to anyone who wants to live a healthier, longer life with a reduced risk of heart disease. Whether you or your loved one are making these changes, be mindful of the process, consult with the healthcare team and find additional resources that can help.
Know When to Ask for Help
Updating your habits doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedication and drive to switch to new ways of approaching your everyday activities, but the payoff will be all worth it. If you or a loved one struggles to maintain a healthy lifestyle due to age-related challenges or an existing heart condition, it may be time to seek additional support.
Consult with your healthcare providers to help determine the next steps of care, which may include home health services or an updated care team. Some benefits of having professional home health support include medication management to keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check, support with meal preparation to ensure a heart-healthy diet, oversight of exercise and mobility activities, and regular monitoring of vital signs to prevent complications.
High-Quality Home Care Services
At Boost Home Healthcare, our home health care services are designed to accelerate outcomes, increase collaboration with doctors and help individuals reclaim their health independence. See below for a brief overview of our services.
- Skilled Nursing: Personalized, one-on-one care in the comfort of your home, with a range of potentially insurance-covered services like IV therapy and wound care tailored to your needs.
- Physical Therapy: Focused support from our home healthcare PT specialists, who tailor their undivided attention and encouragement to your unique needs
- Occupational Therapy: Personalized support with daily living skills to empower family members to assist in your journey toward autonomy.
- Speech Therapy: Tailored support to tackling challenges in speech, language, cognition, and swallowing.
- Certified Home Health Aide: Focused support under nurse supervision with daily activities to specific medical tasks. Services also may include meal preparation, mobility support, and light housekeeping.
- Medical Social Worker: Quality care and comprehensive support to navigate the challenges of adapting to life changes due to illness or trauma, along with guidance on understanding your condition, planning treatments, coordinating care transitions, and addressing emotional, financial, and social needs.
Boost Home Healthcare delivers the care you need in the space you love. Compared to hospitals or skilled nursing facilities, we offer more convenient and often more affordable care. As an added benefit, our approach is entirely personalized for you and your changing needs.
Learn how home health services can support your or your loved one’s heart health, and start your assessment today by connecting to a Boost Home Healthcare location near you.
Helpful Resources:
Heart Health Fact Sheets (nhlbi.nih.gov)
Heart Health Quiz (guthrie.org)
Home Health Services (Medicare.gov)
