Love is in the air! February is all about matters of the heart. Did you know happy relationships can help your heart?
You gotta have the back story. Valentine’s Day originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring an early saint named Valentine. Also, did you know that in February 1964, President Johnson declared the first American Heart Month?
Love makes you happy. Studies show that having a supportive relationship such as marriage and friendship can have positive health impacts.
For example, with COVID-19, we are living in times of stress. The act of holding hands or hugging can help calm people down. Partners can also encourage healthy habits and suggest seeing a doctor regularly.
Additionally, married people’s death rates are lower than those never married, divorced, or widowed. However, these health benefits don’t count for those in a committed relationship and long-term friendships.
Simply knowing that a friend has your back in a time of need is beneficial. These relationships have elements of trust and security in which both parties are giving and receiving.
5 Ways Love Helps your Health:
♥ Love makes you happy.
◊ Love elevates your dopamine (the happy hormone) levels.
♥ Love busts stress.
◊ Love eases anxiety.
♥ Love makes you take better care of yourself.
◊ Love helps you live longer.
There are many different ways to celebrate Heart Month; one lasting impact on your life is to know the signs of a heart attack. It is important to know that men and women can show different signs when having a heart attack.
Even after 64 years of national efforts by the American Heart Association. There’s still work to do to encourage and motivate people to adopt a healthy heart lifestyle. Why? Heart disease, still the number one cause of death among women and men.
It’s worth noting that African-American women have a disproportionate amount of hypertension-related heart disease than Caucasian women.
Strategies to live a heart-healthy lifestyle:
Learn your health history
Eat a healthy heart diet.
Move more sit less
Stay at a healthy weight.
Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke
Drink alcohol only in moderation
Manage stress
By now, we know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States.
Help bring about awareness this Friday, February 5; it’s the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day.
As always, thank you for reading. Please continue to follow the CDC guidelines, perhaps double mask, social distance, and wash hands as often as possible.
