Every February the UK marks Heart Month. A month where we raise awareness of heart health and the conditions that affect it like cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, and diseases like cardiovascular disease.
Did you know…?
- Every 3 minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease.
- An estimated 920,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure.
- Each year in the UK there are up to 100,000 hospital admissions due to a heart attack.
- Each day, around 13 babies in the UK are diagnosed with congenital heart disease.
Heart conditions can affect people at any stage of life, which is why awareness and early prevention are so important. Cardiovascular disease is one of the highest causes of death in the UK, and yet with the right lifestyle changes many of its risk factors can be prevented or managed with the right support.
Cholesterol levels can play a major role in everyone’s overall heart health. Whilst it is needed in small amounts, having too much cholesterol can cause fatty deposits to build up in your blood vessels, narrowing or blocking arteries which can in turn lead to increased risk of heart attach or strokes. Regular health checks on this is essential to help prevent high cholesterol levels and further heart health problems.
Some positive lifestyle choices that can significantly reduce your risk of heart problems are:
- Regular physical activity
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Eating a health balanced diet
- Quitting smoking
- Managing stress
If you’re interested in getting involved in heart month follow the below link to see just what you can do: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/support-our-campaigns/heart-month
So, this heart month, take some time to think about your heart health and support others you know may be affected by heart conditions – after all small changes today can lead to a healthier heart.