Once upon a time youngsters were not bothered about heart risks while they got the most of their best phase of life. That’s an old story though. News about individuals as young as 30 suffering a heart attack would not surprise you so much as it might have surprised you before a few years. Heart attacks then were common only among 60+ people, who had weight issues and complications like diabetes.

The stress levels experienced by you as a youngster today trying to cope up with unique professional challenges would easily put you in the worry if you are exposed to the risk of developing cardiac complications. However, job related stress in not the only culprit in making your heart worse.

Beware about the following lifestyle trends to keep at bay from heart risks.

Too Obsessed With Work?

Most youngsters forget to pay mind to the simple mantra of work-life balance while chasing their life goals. Irregular work hours is the most common feature of job roles that are celebrated by masses today. Most youngsters tend to overwork themselves regardless of their physical and mental limitations. While stress is the most anticipated outcome of such an obsession, heart risks are worsened by unhealthy eating habit.

Some revolutionary job places are taking the issue seriously. In an effort to improve cardiac health of their employees, they raise amenities in workplace that provide for indulging in healthy breaks. Even if your workplace doesn’t have such amenities, you should try not to overwork yourself. Some medical experts have opined that an office habit as casual as sitting in a chair for about 4 to 5 hours continuously can contribute to heart risks.

Indulging in Substance Abuse?

Drinking adventures are not cool. It is extremely important to mention this straight at the beginning, at least considering the Saturday Night fever among youngsters today. Alcoholism which had moral restrictions earlier is now hailed cool, thanks to the movies popular among youngsters. Binge drinking and unrestricted smoking habits are the new chilled-out lifestyle trends. However, they never come without heart risks.

Worse is the trend of drug abuse. Given the frequency of rave parties reported by newspapers, youngsters today cannot deny their fantasies of trying out drugs. Moralities kept apart, one should at least try to understand the health risks associated to the trend. Regular use of psychostimulant drugs has been noted as an undeniable cause of an individual’s increased risk of experiencing myocardial ischemia, a heart risk that leads to heart attack.

Unchecked Eating Habits?

An elevated level of LDL cholesterol, commonly referred to as bad cholesterol by diet counsellors is a leading cause of heart risks among youngsters. If you’re not fitness conscious, you might have probably missed the discussion about this. Elevated LDL cholesterol level is a consequence of overconsumption of saturated and trans fats. While saturated fats are found in animal fats, commercially baked cookies and crackers are a rich source of trans fats.

Studies have found that even a moderate level of increase in LDL cholesterol is associated with a significantly higher risk of atherosclerosis. In general terms atherosclerosis is the formation of blockage in the coronary artery due to cholesterol and plaque, leading to heart attack. Though higher level of LDL cholesterol may not translate to heart attack in 20s or 30s, it poses an irreversible threat in the later years of life.

Too less physical activity?

A sedentary lifestyle has been recognized as one of the leading factors in heart risks. Although regular routines of most working people may not inculcate a significant proportion of physical activity, physicians recommend their patients to spare out some time from their weekly schedule for exercising. Higher number of sitting hours throughout the day is associated by obesity related consequences like higher body mass index, greater waist circumference, higher systolic blood pressure and modulation in insulin resistance, all known to worsen ones heart health.

As per the recommendations of experts on active lifestyle, a person in a sedentary profession must include a 30 minute session of moderate exercises. The exercises may include activities like pleasure walking, climbing stairs, gardening, yard work, Moderate-to-heavy housework, dancing or home exercises. Modern research suggests that a 30 minute exercise session may not alone curb the effect of sitting time as long as 10 hours a day. Going beyond exercise, heart risks can be best prevented by inculcating some form of physical activity in every regular desk-engagement.

Too much physical activity?

Regular exercises are healthy only until you don’t push past the sane limits. While sedentary people is a reality, extreme athletes constitute a community of people who require awareness about heart risks. In the spirit of living up to their reputation, many endurance athletes take on heavy regimes like running over 50 miles or repeat marathons in rapid succession. Such feats are characterized by regularly pushing past exhaustion, dehydration and pain that would lead a usual human to being hospitalized.

The cardiovascular systems of endurance athletes have to cope with extreme functionality demands during extreme exercising feats. In a study it was found that blood samples of athletes collected after a session of heavy exercise contained biomarkers that suggested heart damage. While the biomarkers usually vanish in time, repeated exposure to extreme endurance sessions resulted in the phenomenon known as remodeling of the heart characterized by thicker heart walls and scarring of the heart.

While you may pick a carefree lifestyle for yourself at a young age, you just can’t ignore the consequences it may bring in the long run. Being in a good health is good not just for you, but also for the ones who love you, and probably depend on you. Developing heart complications at an early age can be a great limiting factor preventing you from trying most fantastic adventures in the later life. This should be a definite reason to take care of your heart.

This blog about the occurrences of heart risks among youngsters has been published by Dr Chonkar’s Chaitanya Heart and Brain Centre, providing premium heart and brain treatments in Mumbai.