Ways to Increase Your Chances Of Surviving a Heart Attack
Your head is spinning and your chest feels like someone is stabbing you with a knife. You are nauseated and sweat drips from your brow; you are having a heart attack. Your actions in the next few minutes will dictate whether you live or die. You’ve heard things about putting an aspirin under your tongue and to call for help, but are there any other ways that you can prevent death? Preventing imminent death often starts long before the heart attack does. You need to take control of your health!
The chances of surviving a heart attack depend on your total health package. Johns Hopkins University did a study that found that those who are fit are less likely to die during cardiac arrest. Those who are obese and have other medical problems to add to their myocardial infarction have the grave danger of never pulling through the event. The study used data to show that those who regularly exercise are less likely to have such an event, and when it does happen, it is often less severe. Exercise puts the body in top physical shape. So much so that it can take the blow of a heart attack without much damage.
What Does Exercise Do To the Body?
When a person engages in a workout, their body gets both blood and oxygen that it needs. Doing cardiovascular workouts helps to build new blood vessels to the heart. It actually prepares the heart for an event like a myocardial infarction. The process is known as collateralization and it only happens in the healthiest of bodies. These extra vessels give the heart more blood. Should a blockage take place in one of these vessels that cause a heart attack, the heart is not deprived of blood? There are plenty of other vessels still pumping and giving the organ the nutrients it needs. Even during a massive attack, the area where blood flow was deprived will likely not suffer any long-term damage.
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How Likely Are You To Survive A Heart Attack?
While there is no way to know for sure what your odds are, you can do a little self-test. First, if you can get on a treadmill and run a mile in 10 minutes keeping up your pace, you are in good shape.Those who cannot run a mile in 10 minutes need to increase their pace and do some work. This shows that your cardiovascular fitness ranking is not where it needs to be. You are at a great risk for suffering from a heart attack, and if and when it does happen, it is likely to be more serious in nature.
Men are more likely to experience a heart attack than women. They may also have them earlier in life than women do. There are various risk factors that make it even more likely that you will suffer a heart attack. These include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. A family history of heart illness can also be a factor.
Changing Your Destiny
You need to have at least three workouts per week that last at least 20 minutes long. Great machines for increasing the cardiovascular health are bikes, treadmills, and rowers. The more active you are, the better your chances of surviving a heart attack can be. If you do not have any machinery and no place to put them, you can use a fitness tracker and start running. Even a 10-mile jog a couple times a week will put you in better shape.
The Most Important Way to Prevent a Heart Attack
If you are a smoker, you need to quit. Smoking restricts the blood vessels to the heart and in the rest of the body. Restricted blood flow is a risk factor for a heart attack. Keep both your blood sugar levels and cholesterol under control. Cholesterol is a major risk factor for a heart attack. You need to make sure you avoid fatty, fried foods, and foods that are laden with sugars. What you eat has a direct impact on you overall health picture. Eating a plant based diet with super foods that help to make you heart healthy will only improve your chances of avoiding any heart issues in the future.
A heart attack can happen in a moment when you least expect it. They do not often give warning signs. You must control your health to ensure that you can avoid or survive should one happen to you.
