Your Heart After Forty
After forty, your heart deserves a yearly conversation - even when nothing feels wrong.
Silent risk factors
High blood pressure and high cholesterol have no symptoms. The first sign is often the serious one, which is why screening matters more than how you feel.
What a heart check involves
A consultation, blood pressure measurement, a lipid profile, and - when indicated - an ECG or chest imaging. It takes under an hour.
Five protective habits
- Walk briskly 150 minutes a week.
- Stop smoking - risk drops within the first year.
- Cut salt; most of it hides in processed food.
- Sleep seven hours.
- Know your family history and share it with your doctor.
What your numbers should be
As a rule of thumb: blood pressure under 140/90 (under 130/80 if you have diabetes), LDL cholesterol individualized to your risk, fasting sugar under 5.6 mmol/L. Bring last year's results - trends beat snapshots.
Chest pain that cannot wait
Pressure or tightness spreading to the arm, jaw or back, with sweating or breathlessness - that is an emergency call, not an appointment booking. Minutes matter with heart muscle.
