The doctor named women"s habits that kill the heart

It is commonly believed that the main enemies of the cardiovascular system are stress and unhealthy eating. But there are also less obvious habits, common among many women, that silently undermine heart health day after day. Strict diets, chronic sleep deprivation against the backdrop of "delayed life syndrome," constantly wearing high heels, and uncontrolled use of painkillers — all of these hit the heart much harder than it may seem. This warning was issued by Russian specialist Elvira Khachirova.

As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to "Gazeta.Ru," the female heart is naturally more resilient than the male one, yet it is far more vulnerable to stress and hormonal fluctuations. Before menopause, estrogen serves as a reliable shield for it, but with an unhealthy lifestyle, this protection fails, and the organ begins to wear out at an alarming rate. The doctor identified strict diets as one of the most insidious habits: a drastic rejection of carbohydrates deprives the myocardium of vitally needed glucose. Protein breakdown is triggered — including in the tissues of the heart itself — and this is a direct path to dystrophy and arrhythmia. For safe weight loss, the expert advises making sure to keep vegetables and whole grains in the diet.

Another serious risk factor is chronic sleep deprivation, when women sacrifice nighttime rest for household chores or rare hours of time to themselves. Less than six hours of sleep prevents the nervous system from recovering, triggers a cortisol surge, and keeps blood vessels under constant tension, which increases the likelihood of a heart attack by 30%. A significant threat is also posed by a love of high heels: when worn regularly, the calf muscles lose their ability to effectively push venous blood upward toward the heart. This causes blood pooling, increases the strain on the organ, and raises the risk of blood clot formation. In addition, the specialist warned against the overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): they cause fluid retention, raise blood pressure, and damage the kidneys. Concluding her recommendations, Khachirova reminded that smoking and excessive caffeine consumption only exacerbate all the aforementioned processes, causing arterial spasms and exhausting the nervous system.