How Can You Tell If Your Heart Is Healthy?
Many lifestyle factors influence heart health, including diet, smoking habits, physical activity, and stress levels. If you suspect that your lifestyle is not as healthy as it could be, it may be a good idea to check on your heart health.
Whilst there are telltale signs that your heart may not be working as it should, not everyone experiences the same symptoms associated with certain heart conditions. Undergoing a heart health test can put your mind at rest or kick start healthy lifestyle changes.
Our heart health tests offer a quick, easy, and accurate way to check if your heart is healthy and functioning properly. Heart health checks are included in our Health MOTs and can also be added as individual tests.
Explore our health assessment packages and book your heart health test today!
Why is a Healthy Heart so Important?
At the very centre of the cardiovascular system, the heart is responsible for many of the functions in the human body that keep us alive. From transporting oxygen and nutrients around the body to removing toxins and waste, a healthy heart is vital for overall good health.
The heart is involved in a process known as circulation, where it constantly pumps approximately 5 litres of blood around the body. This blood provides oxygen and nutrients to all the different organs of the body. The right side of the heart receives blood from the veins needing oxygenation and pumps this to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen. This oxygenated blood then returns to the left side of the heart, ready to be sent to all the different parts of the body.
If the heart muscle becomes damaged or the valves stop working correctly, the heart may not be able to meet the body’s demands for oxygen rich blood. This can cause certain symptoms, such as breathlessness or extreme fatigue and lead to serious heart conditions.
Signs of a Healthy Heart
You may already know to watch out for the signs and symptoms of certain heart conditions, but how can you tell if your heart is healthy? In addition to heart health checks, some indicators can tell us whether our heart is functioning as it should.
Energy levels
Although tiredness throughout the day can be attributed to a wide variety of health concerns, extreme fatigue could be a sign of heart failure. Having enough energy to comfortably carry out daily activities such as shopping, climbing stairs, and taking care of household tasks indicates that the heart is pumping enough blood to meet your body’s demands for oxygen.
Breathing
You shouldn’t have difficulty breathing during moderate-intensity exercise if your heart is functioning properly. This doesn’t mean being out of breath whilst pushing yourself harder during exercise, but rather a feeling of gasping for air during a moderate intensity workout.
Heart rate
For the majority of adults, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. You can check your own heart rate by feeling for your pulse and counting how many times your heart beats in one minute. A lower resting heart rate suggests that the heart is healthy and pumping blood efficiently around the body. Factors such as stress and certain medications can affect your heart rate. It is important to note that a normal heart rate differs for each individual and fluctuates with age.
Blood pressure
A healthy adult typically has a blood pressure reading of between 90/60 mmHg and 120/80 mmHg. A blood pressure reading of between 120/80 mmHg and 140/90 mmHg is categorised as a high-normal result. This is also referred to as pre-hypertension and can be pushed into the normal range by making a few healthier lifestyle choices.
Oral health
Good oral health, or specifically healthy gums is important. Studies have shown a correlation between healthier gums and lower blood pressure. Individuals with severe gum disease or periodontitis have been reported to be twice as likely to experience high blood pressure. Therefore, good oral health may indicate that your heart is healthy too.
How Can You Tell if You Have Heart Problems?
There are a number of heart health checks that can identify heart related health conditions. From recording the heart’s rate and rhythm to assessing circulatory health, the following tests can give you an insight into your heart health.
Heart rhythm (ECG) test
An electrocardiogram or ECG Test looks at the heart’s rhythm, rate, and electrical signalling to identify any irregularities in how the heart functions. This is a non-invasive heart health test that involves the placing of electrodes on the chest, arms, and legs to collect data from the heart. The information is recorded on a graph that clearly shows if the heart is beating too fast, too slow, or irregularly.
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is measured using a machine that involves wrapping a cuff around the arm. The cuff tightens, which may feel slightly uncomfortable but is in no way painful. The monitor then records your blood pressure results from the sensors in the arm cuff. A blood pressure reading of 135/85 or higher (if your reading was taken at home) or 140/90mmHg or higher (if a healthcare practitioner took your reading) is considered as high or hypertensive. High blood pressure can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke.
Cholesterol test
A cholesterol blood test, also referred to as a lipid panel, assesses triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in the blood. LDL cholesterol, commonly known as bad cholesterol, can contribute to fatty build-ups in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
BMI
Body mass index or BMI calculates your weight range from your height and weight measurements. Individuals are then placed in one of five categories: underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. A higher BMI is linked to an increased risk of heart failure. However, BMI is not always the most accurate way of assessing how healthy an individual is as it doesn’t take into account ethnicity and muscle mass. BMI is best used in conjunction with other heart health tests to calculate your risk of developing heart problems.
Bluecrest Wellness offers ECG Tests and Heart Disease and Stroke Risk Tests that combine the above heart health checks, giving you a better overall picture of how healthy your heart is.
Symptoms of Early Heart Disease
Not everyone experiences the same symptoms of heart conditions. However, it is important to be aware of the early signs of heart disease. Checking on your body’s ability to maintain regular activities and watching out for common signs may help to prevent progression of heart disease.
Early heart disease signs and symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Palpitations
- Extreme fatigue
- Shortness of breath (even when resting)
- Change in skin colour (greying or paleness)
- Nausea
- Feeling weak
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Persistent coughing or wheezing
- Swelling of legs and arms
- Signs of poor blood supply to extremities (numbness or coldness)
How Can I Keep my Heart Healthy?
There are many ways in which you can help to keep your heart healthy. A heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can provide essential nutrients and help maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercise not only strengthens your heart but also improves circulation, lowers blood pressure, and reduces stress.
Quitting smoking is one of the most impactful things you can do for your heart health. Smoking damages blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and increases the risk of heart disease. By quitting, you're not only improving your heart health but also reducing the risk of other serious health conditions like cancer and respiratory diseases.
Monitoring your heart health
Monitoring your heart health is another way to check on your heart’s health and function. Heart health checks such as ECG Tests and Heart Disease and Stroke Risk Tests collect information about your heart rate, heartbeat, and your heart’s electrical signalling as well as cholesterol levels, BMI and blood pressure. These tests can be used to evaluate your risk of developing heart disease and other heart-related health conditions.
If you want to check how healthy your heart is, you can book your heart health tests today and avoid a lengthy waiting time for an appointment. Additionally, with 350+ venues across the UK, we offer accurate and reliable private testing with no invasive procedures, long travel times or busy waiting rooms.
Our heart health tests are included in our Health MOTs, can be added to any of our health assessment packages and can also be booked as individual tests.
