Heart attacks in younger women are rising at an alarming rate! There was a time when heart attacks were an issue for elderly people, especially men.
If a woman was under the age of 40, getting a heart attack was a rare case. Unfortunately, this isn’t true in today’s time. The latest statistics reveal that every 1 in 8 patients who are suffering from cardiac diseases are below the age of 40.
Since the year 2000, the number of heart attack cases in women has been increasing by 2% every year. Now, there is a high possibility of women in their 20s or 30s getting heart attacks.
Whenever there is a talk about this issue, many commentators only point out unhealthy lifestyles as a reason, although it is just a part of the problem. They haven’t pointed out the other underlying issues that are usually ignored.
This article will explore the 4 causes of heart attacks in women and what you can do to prevent them:
- High levels of Stress & Anxiety
In India, at a very young age, women carry bigger responsibilities on their shoulders. Managing everything at once is very stressful. To add fuel to the fire, there are problems like housework, unrealistic expectations from family & society, losing livelihood because of the uncertainty in the job market, and other negative things in their life that cause stress.
In India, since childhood, women have no one to listen to their cries during their tough moments, and a lot of this stress or anxiety gets internalised when they become adults.
Women have no healthy ways to vent out this stress, and too much stress is harmful to the body. It causes high blood pressure. If someone gets hypertension and it goes undiagnosed, the arteries get damaged, reducing the blood supply to the heart. Because of the lack of required blood supply, the muscles of the heart degrade. Ultimately, this causes a heart attack.
- Sedentary Lifestyle
Another problem of living in this tech-savvy era is that our work & leisure revolves around sitting in front of the screen. Let’s take a day in our life. We begin the day by sitting in front of the laptop/computer in the office and staying seated for 8-9 hours. After coming back home again, women do routine household activities, and after having dinner, they either watch videos or watch shows on the phone. To bring the day to an end, then we go to sleep.
Throughout the day, there is no physical activity, and along with this, there is excessive screen time, improper sleep schedule, not eating food at the proper time or eating calorie-rich food that is not burned through exercise.
- Unhealthy Diet leads to Obesity
Eating unhealthy foods is one of the biggest causes of obesity, and this puts women at health risk of diabetes. Because of the common availability of street food and fast-food joints, cases of obesity are touching new heights.
As per the research conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, one in every four Indians is obese. India is already ranking 3rd on the obesity index. Obesity in women increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and this is quite worrying.
- No Exercise or Too Much Exercise
Exercising too little or too much is detrimental to one’s health, and it leads to a woman getting a heart attack.
Women develop cardiac diseases, especially blockages, in their mid-20s/30s because of eating unhealthy food and an increase in bad cholesterol. In this condition, if a person does a rigorous workout, then it poses a risk to their heart because it causes blood clots near the blockages. This can trigger a heart attack.
On the other hand, there is little to no awareness among Indian women about body positivity. They constantly see ‘perfect and toned bodies’ on social media and in movies. Keeping these celebrities and influencers on a pedestal, young people do too much exercise and skip meals. This puts too much strain on the heart, and this creates the risk of heart attack.
Please keep in mind that proper exercise and diet can reduce obesity and maintain LDL and triglyceride levels. Plus, it increases the blood supply to the heart, which is essential for the healthy functioning of the organ.
How can Heart attacks be prevented at a young age?
Women should not ignore their health at any cost. If you are a young person, then exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet is the best step towards lifestyle improvement. You need to maintain a healthy weight. Take proper care of your mental health and some stress management techniques, or approach a counsellor if you need professional help.
