A study has revealed that there's one straightforward activity you can incorporate into your day which will reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack.
According to the Croí, an Irish charity whose mission to prevent heart disease and stroke, 6,000 people have heart attacks in Ireland each year.
There are measures you can take to prevent heart attacks and a new study indicates that four-and-a-half minutes of brisk walking daily could be beneficial.
It also discovered that consuming 60g more vegetables per day can make a substantial difference and that 11 minutes of additional sleep nightly can significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack.
Scientists examined the sleep patterns and exercise levels of 53,000 middle-aged UK adults using data from wearable devices such as smartwatches. The participants also reported their dietary habits.
Researchers identified 2,034 major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes, over an eight-year period.
The teams from Australia, Chile and Brazil discovered that for individuals with the least healthy lifestyles, who obtain less than six hours of sleep nightly and do very little exercise, even modest changes can be helpful, reports the Express.
Researchers determined that four-and-a-half minutes of exercise, an additional 11 minutes of sleep, and 60g of vegetables daily could slash their risk of a serious heart condition by 10%.
Increasing sleep to eight hours, undertaking 40 minutes of exercise and adhering to a good diet could reduce the risk by 57%. Dr Nicholas Koemel stated: "Combining small changes in a few areas of our lives can have a surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health."
Emily McGrath, from the British Heart Foundation, remarked: "Changes don't need to be big to make a difference. The key is a healthy lifestyle you can stick with."
According the HSE, symptoms of a heart attack can include:
chest pain – a sensation of pressure, tightness or squeezing in the centre of your chestpain in other parts of the body – it can feel as if the pain is travelling from your chest to your arms, jaw, neck, back and belly. Usually the left arm is affected but it can affect both arms.feeling lightheaded or dizzysweatingshortness of breathfeeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)an overwhelming sense of anxiety (like having a panic attack)coughing or wheezing
Although the chest pain is often severe, some people may only experience minor pain. This can feel like indigestion. In some cases, there may not be any chest pain at all, especially in women, the elderly and people with diabetes.
The Irish health body says the best way to prevent having a heart attack is to make changes to your lifestyle.
According to the HSE, there are 3 main steps you can take to help prevent a heart attack:
eat a healthy, balanced dietavoid smokingtry to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level
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