IS YOUR HEART HEALTHY? HOW TO FIND AT HOME WITHOUT EQUIPMENT

 Is Your Heart Healthy? How To Find At Home Without Equipment

From blood pressure to cholesterol levels, maintaining a healthy heart is important in every way. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, with one person in the United States having a heart attack every 40 seconds.

Some indicators of heart health are best left to a professional, while others are easy to check at home

To be clear, it is best to have your heart checked regularly by a specialist. But in the meantime, monitor your heart health from the comfort of your own home without any special equipment. There is a way. It takes a few minutes and a little math.

Here are two easy ways to measure heart health at home without equipment. Plus, learn the most common signs and symptoms of heart disease to watch out for.

Try the staircase test

Are you short of breath when climbing stairs? A 2020 study by the European Society of Cardiology found that measuring the time it takes to climb four flights of stairs can be used to assess heart health.

If it takes you more than a minute and a half to climb four flights of stairs, your health is not optimal and it is recommended to consult a doctor," says the author of the study and cardiologist at La Coruna University Hospital. Dr. Jesus Petiro explains. Spain.

The study compared the results of the staircase test with more rigorous medical tests of heart health, such as the treadmill test. Fifty-eight percent of patients who took more than 1.5 minutes to complete the stair test had "abnormal heart function during the treadmill test," according to the study. It was associated with lower mortality.

Dr. Petiro also conducted a study in 2018 in which more than 12,000 participants climbed three flights of stairs. Those who could not do so immediately were almost three times more likely to die from heart disease within the next five years (3.2% vs. 1.7%).

Notably, both studies looked only at people with symptoms of coronary artery disease. But Dr. Petiro said the stair test should work just as well in the general population for measuring exercise capacity. Various types of step tests have also been used for a long time. by medical professionals to assess heart and lung health.

Check the heart rate

Heart rate, also called pulse, is a basic measure of heart health. It can be easily measured at home without equipment and provides useful information about your heart and overall fitness.

Your heart rate will naturally vary throughout the day depending on how much you exercise. For example, when you're stressed or exercising hard, your heart beats faster. It beats slower when you are calm or asleep.

There are two sorts of pulse you can gauge at home: resting pulse and greatest pulse. First, let me explain what each means. Now let me explain how to measure.

Resting heart rate

Your "resting heart rate" is your resting heart rate when you are calm and still. Studies have shown that a higher resting heart rate is associated with decreased physical fitness, increased blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart attack and death.

"Low" or "normal" is a little different for each person. Healthy adults usually have a heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute, but it also varies with age. Here are the objective resting pulse ranges for various age limits: 

Year

Aim for a resting heart rate

20 years

100 to 170 beats per minute (bpm)

30 years

95-162bpm

40 years

90-153bpm

50 years

85-145bpm

60 years

80-136bpm

70 years

75-128bpm

Maximum heart rate

Notwithstanding your resting pulse rate, you can likewise quantify your pulse during exercise. This provides you with a thought of how quickly your heart beats while it's buckling down, and that it is so near your "greatest pulse" - - the most elevated that your heart rate should ever go. To get your highest pulse rate, subtract your age from 220.

In this case, lower isn't necessarily better. During moderate-force physical workout activity, you ought to expect to get somewhere in the range of 64% and 75% of your greatest pulse, per the CDC. And during vigorous-intensity exercise, you should be between 77% and 93% of your maximum heart rate.

Your most extreme pulse has to do with the amount of vigorous limit your body possesses. Investigations have discovered that a higher high-impact limit is related to less probability of coronary failure and demise, Harvard Health reports.

How to measure your heart rate at home

There are a couple of places on your body where you can feel your heartbeat. One normal and effective open area is the spiral vein or your wrist.

Essentially put your file and center finger within the opposite wrist, and count the number of pulses you feel in 15 seconds. Duplicate that number by four to get your pulse in beats each moment. Begin the depend on a beat, which is considered zero.

The best opportunity to gauge your resting pulse is in the first part of the day when you awaken, while you're still in bed.

To measure your pulse during exercise, you'll need to stop momentarily busy practicing to quantify your heartbeat. You can likewise utilize a pulse screen or wellness tracker in the event that you have one of the most reliable estimations come from a chest-tie pulse screen.

KNOW THE SNEAKY SIGNS OF HEART DISEASE

Many cardiovascular diseases are not diagnosed until it is too late. Here are some of the most common symptoms of heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, and other urgent cardiovascular health concerns to watch out for.

Chest pain, stiffness

Difficulty breathing

Swelling of hands, feet, ankles, and feet

Back pain or back pain

Fast or irregular heartbeat (or palpitations)

Change in heart rhythm

Weakness or dizziness

Numbness in legs and arms

Lightheadedness or dizziness

Fatigue or weakness during physical activity

Heartache, nausea, or vomiting

Fainting