As we get older, it’s increasingly important that we undergo regular heart screenings. Heart screenings consist of tests that provide basic facts about the condition of your heart that your doctor can use to evaluate and monitor your cardiovascular health. The goal of regular heart screenings is to detect potential problems at their earliest and most treatable stages.
We may not enjoy going to the doctor, but doing so for regular heart screenings is definitely time well spent. Here are five reasons why heart screenings are important.
1. Stress takes a toll on your heart
Stress can play a leading role in our everyday lives, affecting our relationships, emotions, behavior, sleep, overall well-being, and even our organs.
One of the ways your body responds to stress is to release hormones that make your heart beat faster and cause your blood vessels to become narrower, which can raise your blood pressure. Chronic stress has the potential to result in consistently elevated blood pressure, which can lead to an elevated risk of stroke or heart attack.1
Heart screenings are important, especially for anyone who experiences heavy stress, because these screenings can help monitor how your heart is doing and can motivate you to find ways to reduce your stress.
2. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are invisible
Another reason to schedule a heart screening is to monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, because without testing there is no way for you to tell what your numbers are. The American Heart Association recommends that levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) be below 100 mg/dL in healthy people. Healthy blood pressure levels should be ≤120/80 mm Hg in younger adults and <140/90 mm Hg in those over 65.
If your numbers are outside of the healthy range, your doctor may prescribe prescription medicines and make important recommendations for lifestyle changes to help you bring them back to normal ranges. Also, your doctor may recommend that you routinely monitor your blood pressure at home.
3. Allows you to be proactive about your heart health
Through regular screenings and following your doctor's recommendations, you can take steps to keep your heart strong and healthy.
The best way to care for your heart is to understand, monitor, and manage your risk factors!2 At your heart screening appointment, you’ll learn important information, like:
- Whether or not you have any risk-factors for heart disease
- Your current state of heart health, which is a combination of your “critical numbers”:
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Cholesterol
- Blood pressure
- Blood glucose (sugar) level4
- Immediate steps to take to lower your risk of heart disease.
4. Knowledge is power
Understanding whether you are at risk of heart disease through screenings can help guide you to make lifestyle modifications and empower you to take steps today that support a heart-healthier tomorrow.
Early detection of heart disease risk factors allows you to make lifestyle changes that can set the stage for a lifetime of heart health. And knowing where your numbers stand early on can provide you with the information you need to make positive changes today!
5. Identifies risk factors for diabetes
Lastly, heart screenings are important because some of these tests are also indicators of prediabetes or diabetes. Early detection allows for early intervention and lifestyle changes that are essential for your health.
There actually aren’t any symptoms of prediabetes, and diet and lifestyle changes can often make a big difference in balancing blood sugar levels and reducing diabetes risk. Left unchecked, prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes which can become severe (and dangerous), sometimes without any external warning signs. Unfortunately, diabetes and heart disease tend to go hand-in-hand; left untreated, diabetes can lead to cardiovascular health problems and cognitive dysfunction.
That’s why monitoring your critical numbers at regular screenings is key! If you are at risk for diabetes, making immediate diet and lifestyle changes and maintaining them is crucial for your health. And for those with pre-diabetes or type-2 diabetes, working with your doctor to regularly and carefully monitor these critical numbers allows you to be proactive in supporting your health.4
Regular heart health screenings can help identify whether you have any risk factors for heart disease and support your heart health journey, which means making smart lifestyle choices today and sticking with them.5 Now that you know why it’s important to undergo regular heart screening tests, give your primary care doctor a call and take control of your heart health!
Looking for more ways to improve your heart health? Start today by checking out our Heart Health Resolutions Checklist.
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References
1 https://www.stress.org/stress-effects#body
2 https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/heart-screenings-why-and-when-you-need-them
3 https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-cardiovascular-disease/heart-health-screenings
4 https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/prevention--treatment-of-diabetes/know-your-health-numbers
5 https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/how-to-help-prevent-heart-disease-at-any-age
