8 LEAST EXPECTED FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE YOU SHOULD KNOW.

Heart disease is the most leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States and while you may be taking your precautions by limiting alcohol consumption, exercising regularly, watching what you eat and not smoking you could still be at risk due to a very unexpected factor.

The obvious risk factors of heart disease are not shocking and most of us are already aware of them like stress, obesity, prolonged high blood pressure or cholesterol, poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, not sleeping enough, strong family history according to the AHA.

However, those are not the only risk factors for a heart disease, other least expected factors like where you live, how you spent your childhood, the age at which you started menstruating and your love life could have a hand in driving your body to develop a blockage in one of your arteries.

Not to scare you but this is something not to be taken simple, every minute a woman in the U.S dies from heart disease thus, and you have to be aware of the obvious and the least known factors that could increase your odds of heart disease.

1- You are Lonely.

Surprisingly loneliness increases the risk of heart disease as much as smoking does according to the Journal Heart. In a study by the York university people who are lonely or didn’t have enough social connections were 29 percent more likely to develop heart disease and 32 percent more at risk of dying by a stroke when compared to people who enjoyed strong social relations with other people.

Moreover, another 8 years study done by the University of Oxford (https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-12-42) found that elderly people who lived with a partner were at 28 percent less risk of dying due to ischemic heart disease than those who lived alone.

Depression is one of the consequences of loneliness and unfortunately it is also another risk factor for developing heart disease.

Fortunately this risk factor can be simply taken care of, try to get in groups, join clubs or even get yourself a pet, they are amazing at giving a great companionship and unconditional love. Indeed a research by Harvard says having pets can improve heart health.

2- You Don’t Sleep at Night.

If you take night shifts frequently, prefer staying up at night or for any reason fail to get seven to nine hours of sleep at night, bags under the eyes will not be your only complaint.

Frequent waking, insufficient sleep or bad quality sleep can all contribute to other factors like high blood pressure, high stress levels and high heart rate all of which keeps the body at a constant alert state rather than rest leading to the development of heart disease in the long term.

In addition, when you are always tired it becomes even harder to follow other healthy habits like exercising and keeping healthy eating schedules.

3- You Had Pregnancy Complications.

While it is rational to think complications that occur during pregnancy shouldn’t have an impact on the heart health on the long term. Studies show that pregnancy health complications like gestational hypertension, diabetes, preeclampsia, eclampsia or preterm delivery can contribute to higher risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

4- You Started Menstruating Before Age 12.

In a study published by the Journal Heart showed that women who started menstruating before the age of twelve were 10 percent more likely to develop heart disease than others who got their first flow 13 or older.

The researchers didn’t explain why this happens exactly but the link between higher levels of estrogen (important hormone for puberty in females) and higher risks of developing blood clots and stroke during the lifetime could be the culprit.

5- You Experienced a Traumatic Event.

Traumatic events may not only be a temporary thing that you get over and everything gets back on track.

Going through a traumatic event like the death of a family member or a car accident can induce a surge of adrenaline that remains elevated along with heart rate and blood pressure.

Women who went through three or more traumatic events throughout their life time when examined, the inner lining of their arteries were thinner and less efficient compared to similar aged women who didn’t experience such life events according to a 2017 study

6- You Have Poor Oral Hygiene.

Poor oral hygiene can threaten the health of your heart.

When your gums are constantly inflamed, swollen and bleeding, bacteria and microorganisms can have a way to enter the bloodstream and find their way to the heart causing inflammations and heart disease.

On the other hand, regular flossing and brushing can reduce the odds of recurrent cardiovascular events.

7- You are Menopausal.

As you age, the chances for heart disease increase and so is the case with menopause.

Doctors used to think the decline in estrogen levels that occur around menopause is the factor for the increased risk of heart disease. However it is more about the stiffness of the arteries that take place as well as the increasing levels of triglyceride, blood pressure and cholesterol.

8- You Have another Inflammatory Disease.

Inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are more common in women and they both increase the risk of heart disease.

The core reason for heart disease is inflammation which wrecks arteries and cause plaque build ups, so if you have been diagnosed with an inflammatory disease ask your doctor how to cut down your risks for developing heart disease.