Published to Newsletter on Apr 27, 2023
Tracey L. Briggs, MA
Supervisor, Employee Wellness
The recommended amount of sleep is seven to nine hours daily for adults, and more for children, is considered necessary for good health, according to AHA new Life’s Essential 8. Because of sleep’s importance to our well-being, the AHA has added healthy sleep to its previously seven key components of heart health.
This latest AHA health checklist showed about 80% of U.S. adults had moderate to low cardiovascular (CV) health, with lowest scores occurring in diet, physical activity and BMI (body mass index). The researchers found that just 19.6% of U.S. adults had high CV health; 62.5% had moderate CV health; and 17.9% had low CV health. Adult women had higher average CV health scores than men.
When looking at lifestyle improvement, consider the eight factors to protect your CV system:
2. Participation in physical activity.
3. Avoiding nicotine exposure.
5. Healthy blood lipids (cholesterol).
6. Healthy blood glucose (sugar).
So, now that you know just a bit about the resources that the American Heart Association offers, delve into the AHA guidance to help you more effectively lower your risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems and ultimately live your life a bit happier and healthier.
Tags: Wellness
