How Well Do You Know Your Heart?
Did you know that your heart beats about 100,000 times a day?
According to the American Heart Association, a healthy heart pumps blood through a network of roughly 60,000 miles of blood vessels — enough to circle the globe more than twice.
And yet most of us rarely think about it. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
Your heart started working before you were born — and it hasn’t stopped since. We’d like to help keep it that way.
In honor of American Heart Month, first proclaimed in 1964 as a national call to take heart health seriously, here’s a quick quiz.
1. Your heart is about the size of:
A. A grapefruit
B. Your fist
C. A baseball
2. High blood pressure affects approximately:
A. 25 million U.S. adults
B. 60 million U.S. adults
C. More than 120 million U.S. adults
3. Someone in this country has a heart attack:
A. Every 5 minutes
B. About every 40 seconds
C. Once an hour
4. What should you do if you think someone is having a heart attack?
A. Check for responsiveness and breathing
B. Call 911 (or direct someone to call) and send for an AED
C. Begin chest compressions if the person is not breathing or is only gasping
D. All of the above
5. Which of the following is part of the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8” for better heart health?
A. Getting enough sleep
B. Managing cholesterol
C. Being physically active
D. All of the above
Answers
- B. Your heart is roughly the size of your fist — but it is the hardest-working muscle in your body.
- C. High blood pressure affects well over 100 million adults nationwide — and many don’t realize it.
- B. About every 40 seconds.
- D. Call 911 immediately. Check responsiveness and breathing. If the person is not breathing normally, begin chest compressions and use an AED as soon as one is available.
- D. The checklist includes movement, healthy eating, sleep, weight management, tobacco avoidance, and managing blood pressure and cholesterol.
Many of the biggest risk factors are manageable. Knowing your numbers, staying active, eating well, getting good sleep, and avoiding tobacco all make a measurable difference.
Over the course of a lifetime, the average heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times. It never takes a day off. This February, take a few minutes to return the favor.
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