Heart Disease – Why Women Are More At Risk And How To Avoid Them

Contrary to early beliefs that men were more prone to heart attacks than women, research has confirmed that heart disease has proved to be the number one killer of women. It has also been confirmed that women were less likely to receive any treatment within a ninety minute period after being brought to a hospital. Although no one exactly knows why; women, they say are less likely to survive a heart attack than men. One of the reasons could be that women have smaller hearts and blood vessels which could be easily damaged and also women might not be aware that they are having a heart attack, because the symptoms are different, as a result of which, they receive treatment only when its too late.

So how does a woman safeguard herself from a sudden heart attack?

As we all know, some of the biggest factors that cause heart disease are high blood pressure and high cholesterol, smoking, family history and age. By understanding the risks, it would be possible to avoid potential heart problems starting early in life.

If you have high blood pressure and cholesterol, you are at greater risk. Control it by exercising regularly, eating only healthy, natural food and losing weight. If these natural ways of reducing the pressure and cholesterol does not work for you, consult your doctor who will have to put you on prescription drugs to control both. Cholesterol screening is a must for women over 45 and this should be done without fail to check your cholesterol levels.

You should also give up smoking completely. If you find it very difficult to do it on your own, consult your doctor who will be able to prescribe a drug or recommend skin patches and other remedies that can be bought over the counter.

Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight is another important factor in controlling heart disease. Being over weight is said to put a strain on your heart and also cause other problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes which can lead to heart disease. Exercising is also necessary to give your heart muscle a workout. Before starting on an exercise routing however, it’s wiser to discuss it with your doctor and get approval from him as how safe it is for you.

A healthy diet of course is imperative to keep your heart and other vital organs healthy. Keep your consumption of sugar and fat at a minimum and eat as many natural foods such as fruits and vegetables, especially greens as much as possible. Always check labels for information on nutrition so that you will know how many calories you are consuming at a given time.

Never ever take a chance with chest pains. Contact your doctor immediately if you feel short of breath or/and have a chest pain or pain in the jaw, neck or shoulder. Get yourself rushed to a hospital because every second counts. If anyone in your family has a history of heart disease, be even more careful if you have any of the above symptoms. Women particularly can have a heart attack even without chest pain; but other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting with excessive sweating, dizziness and extreme tiredness should be attended to immediately.

If you think you are having a heart attack, don’t even think of driving yourself, get someone else to do it and always be ready with the name of a hospital that can deal with coronary problems so that treatment will not get delayed any longer than absolutely necessary.