Heart failure is one of the leading causes of death in the US, it is predicted that more than 600,000 people die due to heart failure every year. Unlike what most people think, heart-related disease does not only happen in older people. It can happen to anyone, regardless of their age. Therefore, preventing heart attacks needs to be done much earlier than we think.
It’s no secret that building and living healthy habits early on is the key to maintaining a healthy body and avoiding various types of diseases, including heart disease. One of the very impactful habits that we should pick on is by drinking a sufficient amount of water every day.
Why drinking water can help maintain heart health?
Drinking water is considered beneficial in reducing the risk of heart failure. According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in 2021, adequate hydration can prevent or at least slow down the progression of heart disease which will lead to heart failure.
The correlation between water and the heart is because when we do not drink enough water, the concentration of sodium in the body will increase. The less frequently we drink, the less fluid reserved in the body that can help dissolve the sodium content in the blood. The high sodium content will make the blood go thicker and as a result, the overall blood volume will decrease. The heart will then need to work even harder to make up for these deficiencies. That’s why most of the time, dehydration is often marked by a racing heart.
If this condition continues to happen in the long run, a heart that needs to constantly work extra hard will eventually experience many problems in the future. If we consume a sufficient amount of water every day, it will help to rinse excess salt in the blood which can be excreted through urine.
How many times should we drink water every day?
Recommended fluid intake varies between 1.6 litres to 2.1 litres per day for women and 2 to 3 litres for men. This amount is around 8 glasses per day, but this standard can be reduced or increased according to the person’s condition. If you are the kind of person who is active every day, you should drink more water. During hot weather or if you are sick, it is also recommended to increase your water intake to replenish the fluid that you may lose.
Unfortunately, the fluid intake of the majority of people does not reach the minimum limit of this range. Thus why we have to be more concerned about our overall health by ensuring that we consume enough water. You can set an alarm on your phone or install an app that can remind you to drink every hour, as a way to prevent dehydration.
To make it easier for you to check whether you have sufficient water intake or not, you can check your urine colour. If your urine colour is dark yellow, then it means that you are lacking water inside your body. Thus, you should immediately reach for a glass of water to add to your fluid intake.
Other things you can do to furthermore prevent heart disease
Drinking lots of water can help prevent heart disease, but we still have to do other things to furthermore maintain our heart health.
Consume heart friendly foods
Choosing the right food is also an important factor in preventing a heart attack. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and foods high in omega-3 such as fish are recommended to maintain heart health. As you grow older, you should also start limiting your consumption of salt, saturated fat, and red meat. If you want to consume milk or cheese, it is better if you choose a low-fat one.
Learn to meditate
Stress, fatigue, and anger can increase your risk of having a heart attack. To help you regulate your emotions better, you should learn to meditate. Set aside time to relax through yoga or meditation. A relaxed mind and body will keep you from various risks of disease including heart attack.
Quit smoking
Smoking has many bad effects on health, it is also one of the triggering factors for heart attacks. An active smoker is at a higher risk of experiencing early signs of a heart attack, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, sudden fatigue, and swelling of the legs. Thus, stop your smoking habits from now on!
Exercise daily
Even light exercise such as walking around the park can be an option to help maintain heart condition. Exercising is useful for lowering blood pressure, strengthening the heart muscle, and controlling fat accumulation. An active body move affects a healthy mentality and also reduces the risk of a heart attack.
Swap plain water for purified one
To protect your heart from any disease even more, you should swap your plain water with a purified one. Most tap water may contain toxins and chemicals such as lead and arsenic. Digesting this contaminant on a daily basis will definitely take a toll on your body. The two chemicals that have been mentioned before, can harm the heart in the long term. They can cause high blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease.
Conclusion
Drinking purified water is very effective to ensure you can lower the risk of having cardiovascular problems. You can get your hand on purified water easily without having to install a water purifier at home. Purchase purified water in bulk through My Own Water, for easier buying. You can just grab a bottle every time you are thirsty. Whenever you drink it, you know you are digesting the best quality of water that can ensure your health even more.
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