{"id":3952,"date":"2015-02-18T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=3952"},"modified":"2017-09-19T11:37:13","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T16:37:13","slug":"heart-disease-in-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2015\/02\/heart-disease-in-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart Disease in Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heart Disease in Women<\/h1>\n

\"Heart<\/p>\n

For a long time, people thought heart disease affected men more often than women. But that\u2019s not because women weren\u2019t having heart problems, theirs just weren\u2019t showing up in symptoms as obvious as the men\u2019s were. <\/p>\n

In fact, heart disease is more common in women<\/span><\/a> than in men and causes 40% of all female deaths<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Part of the problem is that the symptoms women experience from heart disease don\u2019t seem serious enough to complain about or head to the doctor over. By the time they do decide a visit to a medical professional is in order, their condition has worsened and treatment is more of an uphill battle.<\/p>\n

When it comes to heart health, you have to move fast (and not just in terms of cardio).<\/p>\n

The Risks of Heart Disease<\/h2>\n

Heart disease is something all adult women have to worry about, but the risks increase with age. A woman\u2019s risk especially increases after going through menopause.<\/p>\n

It should be no surprise to learn that smoking also adds to a woman\u2019s risk of heart disease. The good news is that, even if you\u2019ve been smoking for many years, quitting now can make a big difference<\/em> in your likelihood of suffering from cardiovascular disease. After one year of quitting, the risks associated with smoking decrease by 80%<\/em>. If nothing\u2019s been able to convince you to quit yet, why not celebrate American Heart Month<\/strong> this year by giving up those cigarettes? <\/p>\n

Stress and depression are also important factors in how likely a woman is to experience heart disease. Many women take on an unreasonable amount of stress when it comes to juggling family and life responsibilities. One study found that women had slower recovery times<\/span><\/a> after a heart attack than men and demonstrated a higher level of mental stress, making the recovery harder. <\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, women who struggle with high cholesterol and blood pressure are also more at risk. If you know these are a problem for you, you should be extra vigilant in tracking them and paying attention to any early warning signs of worsening heart health.<\/p>\n

How to Take Control of Your Heart Health<\/h2>\n

To start<\/strong><\/em>, know the symptoms<\/span><\/a>. Heart attacks and heart disease tend to look a little different in women than in men, so you may be surprised by how little you know what to look for.<\/p>\n

Next<\/strong><\/em>, follow all those familiar instructions you\u2019ve heard a million times before on how to be healthier:<\/p>\n