4 Tips for Preparing for Your Cardiovascular Procedure
Your cardiovascular disease has reached the point where a surgical procedure makes the most sense moving forward. To help everything go as smoothly as possible, we recommend these prep tips.
How Aging Affects Your Heart: What to Know After 60
The population in the United States is aging dramatically. According to the 2020 census report, Americans aged 65 and older increased nearly five times faster than the total population over the 100 years from 1920 to 2020. Today, one in six US adults is at least 65 years old or older.
This boom in our older population means that certain health conditions are also increasing, namely cardiovascular disease, which counts aging as a strong risk factor. And given that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US, it pays to understand the effects that aging can have on your heart.
Since September is Healthy Aging Month in the US, the team of heart health experts here at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists wants to review how aging affects your heart and what you can do to safeguard your cardiovascular health.
Aging and your heart
Your heart is mostly muscle and, throughout your life, it’s arguably your hardest-working muscle. If you consider that a normal heart rate is 60-100 beats per minute and there are 1,440 minutes in a day, and 365 days per year, it doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that your heart works hard.
As with any muscle in your body, your heart can succumb to wear-and-tear over time, and as a result, the following can happen with age:
- Your heart can’t beat as fast as it once did
- The walls of your heart can thicken, which means it can’t hold as much blood
- The valves in your heart can stiffen and weaken
As a result of these natural changes, your heart isn’t pumping blood as efficiently, which can lead to a host of problems that range from arrhythmias to congestive heart failure.
Aging and your blood vessels
The aging process also affects your blood vessels, and these changes can start to become more evident as you get older.
The reality is that people over the age of 60 are more at risk for:
- High blood pressure, which affects almost half of US adults
- High cholesterol
- Peripheral artery disease
- Coronary artery disease, which is the most common type of heart disease
The result of these conditions is having blood vessels that are stiffer and/or narrower (thanks to blockages and atherosclerosis), which can impede the flow of blood. This, in turn, forces your heart to work even harder and, as you age, that's a tough request for your heart.
Maintaining a healthy heart as you age
The secrets to great heart health are hardly secrets — exercise and a healthy diet top most lists, as does avoiding certain practices, such as smoking and heavy drinking.
After the age of 60, exercise can get trickier as your body and joints get creakier, but it’s still important to get moving. We recommend at least 30-60 minutes of movement per day.
As well, after the age of 60, it’s a good practice to double down on healthy eating practices, which means ditching processed and junk foods for more natural foods that include:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grains
- Healthy fats, such as olive oil and avocados
- Lean proteins, such as fish and chicken
- Nuts
And, if you’re still a smoker, quitting after the age of 60 can still deliver some amazing health benefits, especially where your heart is concerned.
Another important step to take after the age of 60 is to get a clearer picture of your current heart health so you know where to concentrate your efforts. To get started on that, we invite you to contact our office in Mountain View, California, to set up a consultation.
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