As St Valentine’s Day (with all its love-iness) approaches, why don’t we redirect some of that love back to ourselves and celebrate our most vital organ and muscle, our heart!
Did you know that heart disease is the largest killer of women in the world? In Australia, heart disease causes almost three times as many deaths in women as breast cancer. And yet, all the public health awareness campaigns for heart attacks tend to target men and male heart attack symptoms, which can be very different to female symptoms.
It is also sad to note that 40% heart attacks in women are fatal. Because the symptoms are different to what men experience (chest tightness and pain radiating down their left arm) women having a heart attack often do not realise what is happening until it is too late for emergency treatment.
How different are female symptoms?
Whereas men would usually report feeling chest pain, nausea or shortness of breath leading up to a heart attack, women’s symptoms can be more vague. It is argued that having a higher pain threshold than men, women simply don’t register that they are having an attack until much closer to the time. Symptoms frequently include:
· A burning sensation in the chest that can be confused for heartburn or
· A heaviness in the chest that can radiate up to the jaw and even to the shoulders and down both arms
· Sweating and shortness of breath
· Dizziness or light-headedness
· Nausea or vomiting
· Weakness or fatigue
It is easy to see why these could be confused or dismissed as being something other than a heart attack. Women have been known to book in to their dentist thinking it could be a dental issue because of jaw pain.
Do women get overlooked by health practitioners?
We tend to be our own worst enemies when it comes to self-care. We juggle many day-to-day roles and our own health often isn’t high on the priority list. Women are less likely to seek out help or make a fuss. We’re more likely to call a friend for support than a doctor, as we don’t want to appear to be hypochondriacs or create trouble. That could be a bad mistake. Grab a newspaper, roll it up and give yourself a good slap now!
This attitude can also contribute to the fact that some doctors don’t check or make the connection between the symptoms and what their cause is. Women are less likely to be referred for angiograms than men, they are less likely to receive lifesaving stents and women are twice are likely as men to die in the first year after a heart attack. It may be time that we became more vocal and informed about our bodies and our health.
Am I at risk?
Perhaps. Do any of the following ring a bell?
· If you have a history of heart disease in your family you may be at risk and need to be proactive and go for regular screenings.
· Women who smoke are at a high risk. If you are a smoker and also take contraceptives, you could be 10 times more likely to have a heart attack.
· Women with diabetes, or living a pre-diabetic lifestyle are also at a high risk. What is a pre-diabetic lifestyle? In involves a diet that is high in sugar (i.e. low fibre refined grains, alcohol, processed food and cereals, sweets, even too much fruit) and limited movement (i.e. hours spent sitting, either at work, in transit, in front of a PC or a TV).
· Women with hypertension (high blood pressure). It is estimated that 50% of people over the age of 55 have high blood pressure and many are not even aware of this as they may have no symptoms. When was the last time that you had your blood pressure tested? As well as surgeries, most local pharmacies now offer free blood pressure tests.
· High cholesterol has been identified as a risk in the past although recent research disputes this. Nevertheless, restricting your saturated fat consumption will only do you good, even if you are genetically predisposed to higher cholesterol.
The biggest increase in recorded cases of women having a heart attack is sadly in the 25-40 age group. This is largely lifestyle related and due to the increasing number of younger women having obesity, hypertension and/or diabetes. Don’t allow your age to be the reason for not getting checked.
“There is no medication in the world that is more effective than cardiorespiratory fitness”
Making positive lifestyle changes is your best defence against heart disease. Aim to eat healthily, get good sleep, and minimise stress.
However, the most important thing you can do is exercise regularly. I always believe that you can tell how serious people are about their health and longevity by how consistent they are with their fitness schedule. It doesn’t need to be excessive or intensive, but it has to be regularly done.
Regardless of your age, your heart asks that you raise it’s rate of beating for a minimum of 30 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week. But how do you make this a priority and find sustainable ways of doing this regularly?
Whether it’s brisk walking, running, circuit classes, cycling, swimming, swim/walking, dancing (cause you all know how I love my Zumba), your challenge is to find one or more ways of moving regularly. Having fun is a major motivator for me, so you won’t see me signing up for a marathon anytime soon, but my husband thrives in such challenges and my brother cycles to work most days. What moves you?
If you can’t move without discomfort or injuring yourself, commit to making your body and core stronger so that you can move with more ease. Make dates with yourself that you always keep regardless of other distractions or obligations in your day or week and build your fitness levels gradually.
Our bodies were designed to move and (despite some initial resistance) our heart loves us when we do it consistently! You don’t need a Valentine’s card to tell you that!
February 14th is also Her Heart Day. Visit the Her Heart website for more information on heart health for women and please share this article with female friends and family that you care about.