Your heart is the central organ in your body. Its steady rhythm gave you life, and its ability to pump blood freely through your body keeps you alive. Maintaining heart health through cardiology services Suffolk County, NY, is vital but becomes more crucial than ever as you age.
Chronological Age Vs. Biological Age
This distinction is important to understand. Think of it like dog years, a pup whose one-year old chronologically already has a body measuring seven-years of living. Your heart functions much the same way if not taken care of. For most of us, our heart is aging at a far greater pace than our physical bodies.
This has much to do with the lifestyle choices we’re making. The three basic ingredients to heart health are: healthy food choices (diet), daily active physical movement (exercise), and moving through our day in a calm manner (lack of stress). As a nation, we get bottom marks for all three.
We don’t nearly get enough exercise, at least not the kind that elevates our heart rate, and any doctor will tell you that’s that only kinds that makes a significant difference in your overall health. We fill our faces with every manner of fast food, junk food, and sugary drinks disguised as natural products. And our stress level is off the charts.
65 and Older
Sixty-five isn’t just the age when you qualify for a senior discount and can draw social security. This number represents the intersection of men’s and women’s probability of developing heart disease.
Prior to senior status, our bodies have already begun a slow inner shift. Your blood vessels become less flexible and are peppered with small fatty deposits, creating a windy obstacle course for your blood to flow through. This is simply the effect of aging. If you have a poor diet, high stress, and don’t exercise, the number of roadblocks within your arteries increases, slowing your bloodstream even more. With each plaque deposit, your risk of heart failure increases.
X and Y Chromosomes
Although it may come as a surprise, your gender plays a role in potential heart disease. For centuries, people thought of heart issues as a condition men contracted. This is simply not true. In fact, each gender has red flags they need to attend to as they age.
Women
Although women don’t tend to develop significant heart disease markers until at least 65, they do have all the same risk factors. If you smoke, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and especially a combination of all three, you can expect your doctor to speak to you about heart-health prevention earlier.
Men
As a general rule, men develop heart disease markers earlier than women. Visit an advanced cardiology care center in Suffolk County, NY, when you turn 50 for a full physical and overall heart-health checkup. This will give you a bottom line as you age, to compare numbers over time. This also means men need to be more vigilant about prevention at an earlier age, especially if they already have diabetes, high blood pressure, or continue to smoke.
Visit your doctor to assess your current risk factors and health. Make a plan for cardiology treatment Suffolk County, NY, to stay heart healthy for years to come.