Heart health in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond

February is National Heart Month, so with that in mind we wanted to offer some practical advice on what you can do to protect heart health at any age, whether you are just entering into middle age, or perhaps starting to come out the other side.

Whatever your age, it is never too late to take up new, healthier habits and while all of these suggestions are made with your heart health in mind, you will be surprised what a positive effect they have on your general wellbeing, too.

Heart-healthy tips for your 40s

This is the age to start preparing your body for whatever the future may hold. While many of us at this stage of life are busy with young families, careers and even perhaps starting to care for ageing parents, taking a bit of time to look after your own physical and mental health is important – both to help you cope with the stresses of daily life right now, and to ensure your body – and your heart – is fighting fit for the years to come. Small changes can make a big difference.

• Eat well – if you’ve got young kids, you probably spend a lot of time worrying about their diet, but make sure you consider your own, too. Home-cooked meals with plenty of fruit and veg, low in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, will help to keep your cholesterol in check, and ensure that you know exactly what is going into your body.
• Move more – many office jobs can be inherently sedentary, and it is not unusual to get to 5pm and find you have barely moved from your desk all day. Try to ensure you make time in your day to get some exercise, even if it’s just a quick walk around the block, as inactivity is one of the major causes of heart disease.
• Avoid toxins – when life is busy and stressful, ‘self medication’ with alcohol, nicotine or other substances can be appealing, but all of these things will put additional stress on your heart over time. Try killing two birds by taking an exercise class to lift your mood, or relax with meditation.

Stay heart-aware in your 50s…

Your 50s are all about building on the good work you started in your 40s – if you’re already eating a balanced diet, exercising and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, then the good news is you don’t need to make any major lifestyle changes at this point. However, there are some things you can do to ensure no nasty surprises:

• Learn the symptoms associates with the major heart-related issues, such as heart attack and stroke. This allows you to recognise the signs in yourself, but also in others around you, which can save lives.
• Keep an eye on your sleep patterns – if you are waking regularly in the night, or find you wake up tired every morning, you could be suffering from sleep apnoea, which is linked to heart disease.
• Keep talking to your GP – if you notice any unusual symptoms – even if they don’t immediately seem to be heart-related, do report them to your doctor. Muscle cramps, nausea and excessive tiredness can all be signs of heart problems.

Be heart happy in your 60s and beyond

If you made all those healthy lifestyle changes in your 40s and kept them up through your 50s, you have given your heart the best possible chance, however sadly time will always take its toll, and now is the time you might be needing to consider preventative medication.

• Talk to your GP about your risk factors – at this stage of life, your doctor should be keeping a close eye on things like your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar etc, all of which can be key indicators for your risk of heart attack or stroke. If your doctor has any concerns at all, they may suggest treatment or medication to reduce this risk.
• Add some weights into your exercise regime – you don’t need to enter any body-building competitions, but introducing some gentle weight bearing exercises can really help to reduce heart stress, by improving the way that muscles take oxygen from the blood.
• Stay connected – research shows that staying socially engaged is not only good for your emotional well-being, but is also good for your heart with poor social engagement in older age associated with cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction and stroke.

If you have any heart-related concerns you would like to discuss in confidence or advice on heart health at any age, our specialist team can help.

Call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 or email [email protected] to discuss our consultation and treatment options in more detail.