Grey hair could be the sign of a troubled heart: Surprising body cues to watch out for

Research suggests that your silver streaks may be the marker of an unhealthy heart. Read on to know about other unexpected signs of an ailing heart.

By: Saswati Sarkar | | Updated: August 24, 2020 10:06 am

Take special care of your heart if you have high volumes of grey hair.

Turns out that your grey hair doesn’t only signal the harsh touch of time. It may also indicate high risk of heart ailments in men. Preliminary findings of a study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual meeting, Spain, suggest that high volume of those silver locks is associated with coronary artery diseases triggered by plaque build-up. Also Read - Sourav Ganguly hospitalised again because of chest pain: Is this normal after angioplasty?

What does the study say?

For this study, researchers conducted a survey with 545 adult men in the age bracket of 42 to 64 years. The study participants were divided in three groups based on the volume of grey hair: Pure black hair, pure white and grey. The survey revealed that 80 per cent of them presented with signs of cardiac ailments and all of them had high volumes of white hair. Greying hair signals natural ageing and unhealthy ageing as well. Be it natural or unhealthy, ageing entails cellular degradation, systemic inflammation, hormonal changes, and impaired DNA function. That is why, any form of ageing can probably increase your vulnerability to heart diseases, scientists observe. However, further research is required to establish the association between grey hair and heart risks. Also Read - Mitral regurgitation: How advanced technologies provide a glimmer of hope for patients

Unexpected signs of a heart in trouble

Chest pain is the most common sign of a cardiac ailment. However, there are very many surprising ways your body signals that your heart isn’t in a good state. Unfortunately, we are unaware of most of them. While it is important to watch out for the well-established signals of cardiac issues, it won’t be wise to ignore the lesser known, unexpected ones. Here, we guide you on them. Also Read - Heart diseases are becoming more common in younger people: Tips to prevent it naturally

Snoring

This is the symptom of a sleep-related issue known as sleep apnoea characterised by a pause in natural breathing. This condition triggers certain physiological changes that result in high blood pressure, poor blood flow and stress on the heart.

Muscle cramps

If you experience this frequently, it could mean that there is a plaque build-up in the arteries of your legs. In that case your heart won’t be able to pump oxygen-rich blood efficiently to various parts of the body.

Dark spots under your nails

An injured finger can lead to blood or bruising under your nails. However, if there are unexplained spots under your nails, you shouldn’t ignore it. A growing body of research suggests that if your nails lose colour or turn blue or purple, it be a sign of congenital heart disease

Numb or cold limbs

Pain, paleness and numbness in your legs can stem from poor blood circulation, which trigger the formation of a clot. Impaired blood circulation, on the other hand, can be the sign of clogged and narrowed arteries, major risk factors for your heart health.

Blue Skin

Your skin turns blue despite being warm only if the oxygen level of your blood is depleted. This condition can lead to blockage of blood vessels, and increase your chance of cardiovascular ailments.

Erectile dysfunction

A research featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association observes that erectile dysfunction can be the signal of cardiovascular diseases in men. In fact, many studies have claimed that it can be the precursor of heart diseases. This is because, one of the main reasons behind this sexual health condition is plaque build-up in the arteries, a condition that escalates your chance of heart attack. Erectile dysfunction, can, in fact, be one of the initial manifestations of this arterial disorder

Published : August 23, 2020 2:42 pm | Updated:August 24, 2020 10:06 am

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