Cardiovascular diseases — which are among the the leading causes of death in the United States — include stroke and heart failure, which can both be caused by arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeats.
Arrhythmia can be dangerous on its own, but because many arrhythmias share risk factors with other dangerous heart conditions, taking steps to reduce your odds of arrhythmia also boosts your overall heart health.

What risk factors should I avoid if I don't want an arrhythmia?
You've probably heard about many of the factors that can boost your odds of an irregular heartbeat already, as they often coincide with what is generally considered an unhealthy lifestyle.
1. Eating unhealthy food
Healthy eating is one of the most important steps to being heart healthy, as well as one of the easiest lifestyle changes to make. Some of the foods that promote heart health are:
- Vegetables, particularly green ones like broccoli and cabbage
- Fruits, such as bananas and oranges
- Whole grains, such as oatmeal and brown rice
- Low-fat dairy products, such as milk and cheese
- Protein-rich foods, such as eggs, fish, and beans
- Oils and unsaturated fats, such as nuts, avocados, and olive oil
Most of these foods are easy to add to your diet. The obvious question is, what foods aren't healthy for the heart? Unfortunately, heart unhealthy foods are far too common:
- Sodium, ubiquitous in preseasoned food and premade sauces (try to avoid more than 2300 mg of salt per day)
- Saturated fats, such as butter, coconut oil, fatty meat cuts
- Trans fats, such as frozen pizza and certain desserts
- Added sugars, such as soda, cookies, and cake
These guidelines may sound stringent, but you don't need to drop all the food you love to lower your risk of arrhythmia. Even small changes to your diet can help reduce the risk of heart diseases, including arrhythmia.
2. Obesity
Obesity is widespread, and estimated to affect about 40 percent of Americans. Although obesity can contribute to other diseases such as cancer, it can also negatively affect the heart, including increasing the risk of stroke and high blood pressure. Strive to maintain a healthy weight, which is between 19 and 25 on the BMI scale. It's easy to calculate your BMI online, but if you want the most precise insights, it's always best to get evaluated by a doctor.
Fortunately, health effects don't just start when you lower your weight to 25 or under — losing weight and doing physical activity, in general, can help promote heart health. Getting lots of physical activity helps reduce heart disease risk factors such as "bad" cholesterol levels, as well as managing high blood pressure.
3. Smoking and drinking
Smoking and drinking aren't just unhealthy for your your lungs and liver. Cigarettes and alcohol can also damage the heart. Smoking raises the risk of heart attacks, heart diseases, and other heart risk factors. Some of these risk factors raise your odds of arrhythmia, and since several arrhythmias pose a risk of stroke, it becomes even more dangerous. Heavy drinking increases the risk of arrhythmia, as well as raising your risk of dying if you already have an arrhythmia. If you're having trouble quitting smoking or are battling an alcohol addiction, strongly consider asking a doctor or support group for help.
4. Frequent stress
We all get a little stressed now and then, but persistent stress and even periods of intense emotion can harm the heart. Not only can stress raise your blood pressure, but studies also show that it can raise your risk of arrhythmias. Also, some cope with heavy stress by smoking and drinking, which are not heart healthy. Being physically active, meeting with a counselor, or talking with friends and support groups are great ways to lower stress.
5. Avoiding checkups
Avoiding checkups with a health professional doesn't directly increase your risk of developing an arrhythmia, but finding an arrhythmia or risk of arrhythmia early is one of the best ways to avoid severe symptoms. Some of the most significant risks a doctor can look for are high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but they can also do tests to discover how well your heart is working. It's best to get checkups at frequent intervals, especially as you get older, so you can avoid the risk of not only arrhythmias but several other harmful diseases and conditions.
6. Poor sleep habits
It's well known that sleep affects your health, and increasing your sleep duration and quality can boost your overall health. It's less well known that sleeping helps your heart too. Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night, and not getting enough quality sleep can raise your risk of heart problems. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can cause an increase in blood pressure in addition to other risk factors. It's unlikely that poor sleep alone will cause a heart complication, but getting a good amount of sleep is a great way of keeping yourself heart healthy.
- Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390068/
- www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/heart-healthy-living
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4662914/
- www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/heart-healthy-living
- www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/atrial_fibrillation.htm
- www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/arrhythmia
- medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001101.htm
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22779085
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9949788
- www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/overweight-and-obesity
- www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3403737/
Your thoughts on this