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Heart Disease Resources

People of all ages need to keep their heart healthy. Eating well, exercising regularly, and seeing your health care provider can help you keep your heart healthy. Work with your healthcare provider and adopt good lifestyle habits to help lower the risk of heart disease.

Heart disease describes conditions related to plaque building up in the walls of the arteries. Other conditions include arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), congenital heart failure, and heart valve problems.

What is your risk?

Heart disease can happen to anyone, including children. You can be born with it, and a family history of heart disease may increase your risk.

Most heart disease develops over time due to poor habits such as smoking or eating an unhealthy diet. Having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes also increases your risk of heart disease. Talk with your provider about ways to prevent or manage diabetes and control other risk factors.

What is a good resting heart rate?

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Remember, factors such as age, physical activity, and overall health can affect what is considered your normal resting heart rate.

Talk to your provider if you have concerns about your heart rate.

How does high blood pressure affect heart health?

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Causes for high blood pressure include:

  • Diabetes
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Smoking
  • Not getting enough regular physical activity
  • Unhealthy diets, including high amounts of sodium and alcohol

Talk to your provider about how you can lower your blood pressure to help avoid heart disease and stroke.

How can you lower your risk of heart disease?
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, poultry, and fish; avoid having too much salt or sugar
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise at least 150 minutes per week
• Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar at a healthy level
• Don’t smoke or use any tobacco products
• Follow your doctor’s recommendations
Can heart disease be treated?
Yes. Talk to your provider about how to safely reduce the risk of heart disease. You can also talk about setting goals for a healthier heart. Your provider may also prescribe medication.
What are symptoms of a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. Be aware of the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Cold sweat
  • Nausea
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain in the jaw, neck, arms, shoulder, or back

Call 911 if you or someone you know is having a heart attack.

What can cause Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and meet your body's needs. The following factors may increase your risk of CHF:

  • Diabetes
  • High cholesterol levels
  • High blood pressure
  • Poor diet
  • Not getting enough physical activity
  • Smoking and/or using tobacco
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Stress

Talk to your provider to learn more about CHF.

What can cause heart arrhythmia?

A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. Factors that may cause arrhythmia include:

  • Blood sugar levels that are too low or too high
  • Caffeine, illegal drugs, and certain medications
  • Dehydration
  • Low levels of electrolytes, such as potassium, magnesium, or calcium
  • Physical activity
  • Strong emotional stress or anxiety
  • Vomiting or coughing
  • Smoke
  • Use illegal drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines
  • Drink alcohol more often and more than is recommended (no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women)
  • Take certain antibiotics and over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines

Talk to your provider about how to prevent arrhythmias.

Here are some resources to help you prevent or manage heart disease:

 

Managing Blood Pressure Flyer

American Heart Association

 High Blood Pressure Resources Page (CDC)

Heart Health Articles and Videos (Healthwise)

 

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Everything You Need to Know About Sleep Apnea
6/24/2021 • Posted by Kevin Narag, MD

ADHD-Focus-Fidelis-Care

“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.” — Anthony Burgess, Inside Mr. Enderby

Roughly 20 million Americans have a condition called Sleep Apnea, which interferes with their ability to get the benefits of restful sleep.  However, approximately 75% of these people may not even know that they have this condition.  This is especially important for men, who are two times more likely to have sleep apnea than women. 

 

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a chronic medical problem where people stop breathing multiple times during sleep.  Most of the time, this is due to blockage of the upper airway when the muscles of the throat relax (called Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA).  Sometimes, it occurs when the brain does not send signals to breathe during sleep (Central Sleep Apnea).  Over time, untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke, depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, and problems with memory and concentration. 

 

What are signs and symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

  • Chronic loud snoring
  • Gasping or choking during the night
  • Frequently waking up at night, especially to urinate
  • Morning headaches
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness (for example, needing a lot of naps, or falling asleep easily when watching television or reading).
  • Irritability
  • Poor concentration
  • Sore throat or dry mouth when waking up

 

What are the risk factors for Sleep Apnea?

Certain factors may increase the risk of sleep apnea, including:

  • Obesity
  • Having a large neck size
  • Sleeping on your back
  • Smoking
  • The anatomy of the throat (the size and the position of your jaw, tongue, and other tissues in the throat can all affect breathing).
  • Family history of sleep apnea.
  • Age over 50 (though sleep apnea can affect people of any age).

 

How do I know if I have Sleep Apnea?

If you are concerned that you might have sleep apnea, the first step is to share your concerns with your physician.  To test for sleep apnea, your doctor may order what is called a sleep study, where certain measurements like your oxygen level are monitored while you sleep.  This test can either be done at home or at a sleep testing facility. 

 

Is there a treatment for Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is treatable!  Sometimes, losing weight, cutting down on alcohol, and sleeping on your side may resolve sleep apnea. Many times, your doctor might prescribe a special machine to be used during sleep.  Called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP), these machines blow air through a mask to help overcome blockages in the airway.  Other treatment options include special mouthpieces worn at night and, in rare cases, surgery to fix the tissues causing airway blockage.