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How Chronic Heart Conditions Impact Australians

How Chronic Heart Conditions Impact Australians

Heart diseases remain a pressing health concern across Australia, with lifestyle choices significantly influencing the prevalence of chronic heart conditions.

Understanding the scope of these diseases and adopting heart-healthy behaviours are key steps in safeguarding Australians from heart attacks, strokes, and related health complications.

 

Key Takeaways

The Scope of heart conditions in Australia: in this part, we describe a range of heart diseases that affect the heart

The Human and Economic Toll: heart conditions have a huge impact on Australians and Australia’s economy

Lifestyle and Heart Disease: many forms of heart conditions can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices. Read what could reduce your risk of a heart disease.

Strategies to improve your heart health: here we describe some simple lifestyle changes that can help manage and prevent heart diseases

Helpful daily living aids for your heart health: here we provide you with some easy equipment that can potentially reduce the risk of a heart condition


The Scope of Heart Conditions in Australia

Cardiovascular diseases are an umbrella term for heart, stroke and blood vessel diseases. The spectrum of heart conditions encompasse congenital heart defects, arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats, narrowed or blocked blood vessels and more.

Chronic heart diseases is one of Australia’s largest health problems, as it accounts for a staggering 43,000+ deaths, killing one person every 12 minutes.

 

 

Heart condition

 

 

The Human and Economic Toll

Approximately 4.2 million Australians live with a chronic heart condition. This alarming statistic represents one in six people, indicating a widespread impact on the population.

With a significant portion of the population diagnosed with some form of heart disease, the pressure on the healthcare system and the economy is immense.

 

 


Lifestyle and Heart Disease

High cholesterol levels, affecting 1 in 3 adult Australians, and lifestyle habits such as smoking, contribute to the clogging of arteries, leading to a stroke.

Additionally, the prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity heightens the risk of developing various heart conditions, underscoring the importance of lifestyle changes to improve your heart health.

 

Smoking can lead to a heart attack

 

 


Strategies to improve your heart health

A heart-healthy routine is crucial in mitigating the risks of heart disease. There are quite a few easy lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease.

1. Good nutrition

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in improving your heart health. Focus on creating a balanced diet that supports positive eating behaviours and maintains a healthy weight. 

Healthy diet

Encourage people from a young age to make a healthy choice in food. This is linked to better nutrition and a lifelong healthier eating behaviour, thereby reducing the risks of overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Choose nutrient-rich food high in vitamins, minerals and fibers such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and nuts.

 

2. Regular Exercise

Physical activity is pivotal in maintaining heart health as it helps burn the calories you are taking in. You don’t have to run a marathon to help lower your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol or keep your weight at a healthy level.

Regular exercise for heart diseases

To improve your cardiovascular condition, try to achieve a moderate level of fitness and be physically active 20 to 30 minutes a day.  Integrate a walk in your daily routine and mix it up with other types of exercise such as bike exercises. You can even do these at home with our pedal exerciser which will help you move your legs and arms.

 

3. Stop smoking

We would really encourage you to stop smoking. We know it is difficult and tough. But it is even tougher to recover from a heart attack or stroke.

 

4. Limit your alcohol

Too much alcohol, this can increase your chances of a stroke, cardiomyopathy or raise your blood pressure. It can produce arrhythmia or irregular heartbeats and contribute to high triglyceride, the most common type of fat in the body.

Limit your alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men, and one for women.

 

 


Helpful daily living aids for your heart health

Incorporating aerobic exercise is a great form of exercise to keep your heart in good condition. Aerobic exercises include activities like jogging, walking, swimming, cycling, stretching etc.

Heart fitness equipment such as a treadmill, exercise bile, a fitness Ball, Pedal Exerciser can help with exercising indoor. A titness ball, for example, is used for stretching which improves breathing and increases airflow to the heart.

A pedal exerciser is a compact piece of equipment for a low impact cardiovascular workout. It can be used for your legs and arms. 

 

Pedal exerciser

Keeping an eye on your progress in weight loss, is very important for motivation to keep going. Digital scales can be used to regularly check your weight in order to keep track of weight loss.

 

Digital scale from Lifesmart

For those that engage in walking as exercise, an activity tracker can be useful to track your steps, distance you walked and calories you burned.

 

Activity tracker

 

A cholesterol test is very useful for patients with a heart disease as it measures the fats in the blood. The measurements help predict if you are at risk of blocked arteries in your heart.

Our Lifesmart Cholesterol Monitor provides you with fast, safe and accurate results with just one drop of blood.

Cholesterol Monitor by Lifesmart

 

Blood pressure monitors help you keep track of your blood pressure and pulse rate. It is important to monitor your blood pressure on a daily basis to avoid a stroke due to overly high blood pressure.

 

Man monitoring his blood pressure

 

In conclusion

Preventing heart disease is largely within our control through lifestyle choices. While it may be challenging to integrate new habits, the benefits to longevity and quality of life are undeniable.

By making these changes a part of your daily routine, Australians can significantly reduce the risk factors associated with heart disease.

 

About Bettercaremarket

Bettercaremarket is your leading supplier of healthcare essentials and your #1 destination for quality incontinence supplies, mobility equipment, independent living aids for seniors, disability aids, rehab and therapy products and medical supplies.

We help NDIS-participants, aged care facilities, home care package providers, occupational therapists and allied health providers find the best solutions to solve their need.