Resting Heart Rate

A 20-year study on more than 4,000 middle-aged Frenchmen found maintaining a resting heart rate less than 75 reduced the risk of an early demise 20 percent. If your resting rate continued to rise over your time, that increased your risk of an early death 50 percent.
Huntington cardiologist Dr. Gregory
Giesler says high resting heart rates usually indicates some kind of impairment.

"People with coronary artery disease, congestive heart failures, people with abnormal rhythms can have a higher rate," Dr. Giesler said.

Francis figures a low rate indicates everything is running smoothly like a well maintained car.
"I really truly believe this because just like a car engine if you have to rev it up all the time, then your life is probably less," Tan said.
"The best way to get a resting heart rate is do it first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Find your pulse and count your heart beats for 15 seconds and then multiply that by four ... teenagers and more athletic people can even have heart rates in the 50s and 60s and sometimes low 40s," Dr. Giesler said.
Bob Biedebach has exercised regularly for most of his life and says he's had a low heart rate for years.
"I go to the gym three times a week and walk my dog everyday, twice a day," Biedebach said.
Dr. Giesler says the best way to get your resting heart rate down is to exercise regularly and consistently.
"Hopefully that will make them live longer and more healthy lifestyles," Dr. Giesler said.

This is not just a man's disease.

Each year, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack. About 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal. Those figures would change if more Americans got to a hospital as fast as possible when a heart attack happened.

High Blood Pressure

According to recent estimates, nearly one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't know they have it. In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked.

Get the facts on high blood pressure and how to live a heart-healthier life. Find out how you can reduce your risks for heart attack and stroke with proper monitoring by a healthcare provider and simple lifestyle changes, even if you have high blood pressure.

Women and Heart Attack

If you're a woman, you may not believe you're as vulnerable to a heart attack as men–but you are. Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths. Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men There are differences in how women and men respond to a heart attack. Women are less likely than men to believe they're having a heart attack and more likely to delay in seeking emergency treatment. Further, women tend to be about 10 years older than men when they have a heart attack. They are more likely to have other conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure–making it all the more vital that they get proper treatment fast. Women should learn the heart attack warning signs.

As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

If you feel heart attack symptoms, do not delay. Remember, minutes matter! Do not wait for more than a few minutes–5 minutes at most–to call 9-1-1. Your family will benefit most if you seek fast treatment. For more information
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/ab_site.htm

http://www.womenheart.org/information/women_and_heart_disease_fact_sheet.asp

More sites to read

Womentowomen.com