Develop a Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death
A study published recently in the Lancet, a subsidiary of the prestigious medical journal, shows that people who work in a state of constant fatigue have a 52 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death before the age of 65. According to data from the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in 2019, there are as many as 550,000 sudden cardiac death cases in China every year, among which sudden cardiac death is common among young people.
In recent years, high intensity and high pressure work, smoking, staying up late, high tension, continuous overwork state has become the normal life of young people, but also become an important reason for their sudden death.
Four bad lifestyle habits affect cardiovascular health
High stress and constant fatigue excite the sympathetic nerves, increase the secretion of adrenal medulla hormone, and increase the adrenocortical hormone through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system. Increased levels of catecholamine and cortisol are associated with an increased risk of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis and arrhythmia. In addition, sympathetic excitation can also induce platelet aggregation and thrombosis in coronary arteries, thus inducing acute myocardial infarction.
Smoking can lead to increased production of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. Long-term smoking can also lead to vascular endothelial damage, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Alcoholism or long-term drinking can directly damage the myocardium, resulting in dysfunction of myocardial energy metabolism, increase of triglycerides, and promote the formation of atherosclerosis. At the same time, it can also lead to insufficient coronary artery blood supply. In addition, emotional excitement can increase the oxygen consumption of the myocardium and induce angina pectoris or myocardial infarction.
Studies have shown that people who are physically inactive tend to have higher rates of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and cardiovascular disease than people who stay active. This is mainly because people in the absence of exercise, the body's blood circulation is poor, especially on the human cardiovascular system is more obvious.
Excessive use of the brain will make the brain in a state of excitement for a long time, prone to sleep disorders, sleep difficulties, dream, wake up early and other symptoms, wake up will have fatigue. Chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to the development of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes -- conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity or metabolic syndrome that can trigger heart attacks. In addition, lack of sleep will cause the body's immune system disorder, promote the inflammatory response level of blood vessel wall, promote the occurrence of atherosclerosis, and thus increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
Reduce your risk of sudden death by doing the following
How can we maintain cardiovascular health and effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in young and middle-aged people through self-regulation at work and at home?
1. Control working hours to avoid long-term overtime and excessive fatigue. Taking a break from work for about half an hour -- simple exercise in the office, drinking water, or looking out -- can help reduce the slow blood flow caused by sitting and reduce the risk of blood clots.
2. Develop good living habits. Exercise is an effective way to improve the physical quality, young people recommend jogging, swimming and other sports. It should be noted that the intensity of exercise varies from person to person. Do not blindly choose a high-intensity exercise item, but choose one that suits you. Reduce sitting time, long time of inactivity will slow down the blood circulation, cardiopulmonary function, it is recommended to get up every 1 hour and activity for 10 minutes, in order to promote blood circulation. Get enough sleep. It's recommended to go to bed before 11 p.m. to get enough sleep. Quality sleep can help restore physical strength, eliminate fatigue, strengthen the body's immune system and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Healthy diet, light diet, avoid heavy meals and too greasy, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, supplement vitamins.
3. Treat stress correctly and relieve it actively. To realize the harm of work stress on the body, consciously to take the initiative to adjust their own. Do not use smoking, drinking, overeating and other ways to release their stress. To learn psychological relaxation, through the appropriate way to vent inner pressure. For example, proper outdoor exercise, traveling, listening to music, talking with friends and so on are all suitable ways to relax.
4. Get regular checkups. It is recommended to have an annual physical examination to get a complete picture of your health. Frequent palpitations, dizziness and fatigue are all manifestations of sub-health state. Especially for the middle-aged and young people with "three high levels" and cardiovascular diseases, they need to go to the hospital for a comprehensive physical examination every year, so that the problems can be timely prevented and treated scientifically.
In conclusion, young and middle-aged people should stay away from smoking, staying up late, high load and continuous fatigue work state, develop a healthy lifestyle, in order to better maintain cardiovascular health, avoid cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death.
(The first author is Deputy chief physician and Associate Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of China; The second author is a master student in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of China)
