Is Your Heart Healthy? Here’s How To Check

Is your heart healthy? Don’t have time to visit a doctor? Well, here’s how you can check your heart’s health at your home in just 5 minutes.

Keeping your health in check has become a priority in today’s world where stress and a poor lifestyle can easily seep into your life and silently start affecting your body without making it evident. While keeping every organ healthy is your responsibility, the heart is one of the most important parts of your body which makes it on your priority list. 

As you know, it is the responsibility of your heart to pump blood to every tissue of the body, circulate the nutrients to keep your body going, and maintain a regulated circulatory system. It takes oxygen to your brain and other parts of the body and removes the carbon dioxide and toxins away. 

10 Common Signs of an Unhealthy Heart

A healthy heart is important for a healthy life. That’s why, if you’re feeling any of the signs mentioned below frequently, you should go & see a doctor.

• Shoulder or chest pain
• Snoring or sleeping issue
• Difficulty in sexual function
• Irregular heartbeats
• Sore gums & jaws
• Shortness of breath & fatigue
• Puffy legs & feat
• Dizziness
• Persistent coughing
• Random cold sweats

When you visit a doctor, the first thing that the doctor will do is check your heart rate, blood pressure & might suggest suitable medicines for your heart. 

Your heart rate, which is the rhythm of your pulse matching up to your heartbeat, is the number of times your heart beats in 1 minute.

Each pulse should match your heartbeat as it pumps blood through your arteries. Finding the pulse will help your doctor to understand the strength of your blood flow and blood pressure in different parts of your body.

DIY Heart Health Checkup

The Easiest way to check your heart health is to measure your heart rate & blood pressure.

How to Check Your Heart Rate

It’s easy to check how fast your heart is beating & can be done at home on your own by measuring your pulse rate. Here’s how to do so:

1. Get a watch with a second hand
2. Place your index and middle finger on the inner wrist of the other arm, just below the base of the thumb. You should feel a tapping or pulse against your fingers.
3. Count the number of taps you feel in 10 seconds.
4. Multiply that number by 6 to find out your heart rate for 1 minute.

Besides checking your pulse, your doctor can hear the opening and closing of your heart valves by using a stethoscope.

How to Check Your Blood Pressure

Checking your blood pressure is the second way to understand the healthy functioning of your heart.  Blood pressure is defined as the force of the blood against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps it around your body.

Blood pressure is measured in two ways:

• Systolic blood pressure: This is the pressure in your arteries when your heart squeezes
• Diastolic Blood Pressure: It is the pressure in your arteries when your heart relaxes.

Also Read: How To Lower Diastolic Blood Pressure?

Normal blood pressure for an adult, when you’re at rest, is less than 120 over less than 80. The Systolic blood pressure is 120 while the Diastolic blood pressure is 79. Keep in mind that the numbers may fluctuate a bit if you are on blood pressure medicines.

The easiest way to check your BP at home is by using one of those blood pressure monitoring machines that you can buy from any medical shop. They work just fine.

If you believe that the machine isn’t working for you or that you need expert help, you can contact a doctor and get a medical test done. Some of the medical tests you can take to check your blood pressure are Angiogram, Chest X-Ray,  Echocardiogram, MRI, etc. The type of test depends on your condition as well as the doctor.

Exercise to Keep your Heart Healthy

To ensure that your heart is healthy, it is important to keep it active and pumping blood.

Exercising helps your heart to flush out toxins in a much faster way. Sweat is one of the most effective ways to get your body rid of the toxic elements in your body. Also, working out ensures that your body stays active.

Yoga is another form of workout that you can try. It has some specific Asanas which help your heart pump at the right speed and also make it stronger. They focus on the contraction and relaxation of your heartbeat with the help of some breathing exercises which are proven to positively affect your heart.

Lastly, if you want to maintain a healthy heart, it is important to avoid too spicy or oily food. Too much salt can also affect your blood pressure, which in turn can affect your heart. And tobacco, nicotine, and alcohol are the most dangerous elements for a heart. So, it is advisable to quit such toxic activities.