Published on 10th July 2018
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can, and unfortunately does, affect people from all walks of life, no matter their age, health, race or gender. Despite there often being no signs or symptoms prior, there are a few ways you can help reduce the chance of it happening to you!
Eating healthy is a fantastic way to maintain a healthy heart. The foods we eat affect us far more than we think, from our mood, creativity to our health and wellbeing. Maintaining a varied and healthy diet will make all the difference to your heart health. Even if you aren’t motivated to go to the gym at 5am, every single person can make a few small changes to increase their overall health. Exercising regularly is a key factor. Why not cycle to work or go out on a 30-minute walk on your lunch break? Every little bit makes a difference.
If you currently smoke, you should look into quitting. Smoking is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases; whether it be increasing the chances of Sudden Cardiac Arrest or contributing towards a stroke or other heart diseases. Within the first couple of years of not smoking, you’ve already greatly reduced your chances of heart-related diseases, and after roughly 10 years, you’ll have the exact same chances as a non-smoker!
Visit your local GP if you think you may have high blood pressure, diabetes and/or high cholesterol. With most of these conditions, you should be able to treat them by altering your lifestyle and ensuring you take the required medication when prescribed. If you are still worried, speak to your GP about the possibility of having an ejection fraction to determine if there are any risks. From this, you’ll find out if you have any abnormal heart rhythms that may potentially trigger life-threating arrhythmias.
Finally, it’s worth finding out about your family history – you may have a history of cardiovascular diseases and could impact your heart!
What changes are you going to make?