Seniors and Heart Health

While being conscious of heart health is important at any age, it’s especially vital for seniors to pay attention to their ticker. Just because heart disease risks increase with age, doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can’t reduce your risk. With the right lifestyle habits and the correct nutrition, you’ll be more protected. Here are some heart-healthy tips for seniors:

Symptoms of Heart Disease

Recognizing symptoms of heart disease is crucial. Often, these signs don’t appear until an emergency is well underway. Some signs include:

• Feeling faint or lightheaded
• Breathlessness
• Unusual pains in the back, neck or shoulders
• Irregular heartbeat
• Pain or pressure in the chest

Heart disease prevention requires keeping other health conditions under control, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and diabetes.

How to Improve Heart Health

Be proactive about your heart health. Here are a few great places to start.

• Quit smoking. If you smoke, today is the day to quit!
• Eat a heart-healthy diet. This means more than just avoiding unhealthy foods; you’ll need to increase your intake of nutrient-rich foods, foods that are high in fiber and healthy fats. Fresh fruits, vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids like those in oily fish, nuts, legumes, and dark leafy greens should be a part of everyone’s diet, especially if you’re a senior concerned about heart health.
• Get enough exercise. In our community, you’ll find plenty of great activities to get you started that will be just the right fit for your activity level.
• Reduce your alcohol consumption. Excess alcohol can contribute to other conditions that could contribute to heart disease, such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and arrhythmias.
• Watch your weight. Excess weight can increase heart disease risk, so work at maintaining a healthy weight for your size.
• Try to get seven hours of sleep at night. Good quality sleep, and enough of it, is a great way to protect your arteries.

The Arbors Assisted Living community encourages and supports healthy habits for our senior residents. We provide a variety of nutritious meals as well as activities that foster a healthful lifestyle. Contact us to learn more!