Love Your Heart
In addition to Valentine’s Day and Groundhog Day, February also has a serious purpose, as it’s recognized as American Heart Month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that heart disease is the cause of one-third of all deaths in the U.S. We can all do our part to lower that statistic with a few simple heart-healthy behaviors. Get Better Sleep Your body repairs tissue, stores memories, and replenishes your hormones while you sleep. Your heart also gets a big rest from the activity of the day. To improve your mood, your health, and your heart, sleep for at least 7–8 hours every night and consider factors that could contribute to sleep problems. For example, sleep apnea is an obstructive airway disorder that disrupts sleep. It can also lead to heart attacks and strokes because the heart is working overtime to keep you alive at night by jolting you awake when you stop breathing. (Note: Medicare does have coverage options for treating sleep apnea!) Move More Your heart is a muscle, and like all other muscles, it needs to move and be challenged in order to grow. But these “challenges” don’t have to include running marathons or lifting heavy weights. Go for walks, try swimming, hop on the bike, or hike on local trails to get your heart rate up. If mobility is a concern for you, try to move at least once every hour you’re awake. Walk around your house between commercials on TV or try simple stretches. Just get the blood flowing! Get Tested The best treatment is prevention. If you are genetically predisposed to heart disease, have another chronic condition like diabetes or liver disease, or are older than 65, you have an increased risk of heart disease. Your doctor can regularly monitor the condition of your heart and find signs and symptoms of developing cardiac conditions before they worsen or result in an emergency. The good news is that Medicare covers regular yearly testing, too. And Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases This February
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Learn more about treatment or testing for heart disease at Medicare.gov and find more heart-healthy tips at CDC.gov.
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