Uncontrolled high cholesterol levels can lead to dangerous diseases, such as stroke, heart attack, and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Therefore, it is important for you to know the signs of high cholesterol in order to avoid these diseases.
Actually cholesterol is not always bad for your body, because the body actually needs these substances to support metabolic processes, build new cells, help produce vitamin D, and form hormones.
Unfortunately, an unhealthy lifestyle is often the main factor causing increased levels of cholesterol in the blood. If this condition continues, cholesterol will form plaques that can block blood flow, thus triggering heart and blood vessel disease.
Signs of High Cholesterol
Indeed, there are no "typical" complaints that can describe high cholesterol levels with certainty. Even so, there are some symptoms that are often felt when someone has high cholesterol, including:
1. Pain in the neck
Although it can be caused by many things, such as muscle and nerve pain, in fact this complaint is quite often experienced by people who have high cholesterol. This is associated with the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels in the neck area. This plaque buildup can block the flow of blood in the neck and to the brain.
2. Easy to feel tired and sore in the legs
Plaque in the blood vessels that appears as a result of high levels of cholesterol in the blood can cause reduced blood flow to body tissues. This is what ultimately makes people with high cholesterol feel tired more easily. In addition, if this plaque buildup occurs in the blood vessels in the legs, the patient's leg area can feel heavy, painful, and even stinging like burning.
3. Pain in the chest
When cholesterol levels are too high, plaque buildup can also occur in the blood vessels of the heart. This can interfere with, and even block blood flow to the heart.
One of the complaints that generally arise as a result of this is pain in the chest. Even if the blockage is total, it can lead to a heart attack.
Prevent High Cholesterol
In order to avoid the various effects of high cholesterol that can be dangerous, you are recommended to take the following preventive steps:
1. Regulate diet
One way that can be done to prevent high cholesterol is to adjust the diet to be healthier. Start by reducing the amount of saturated fat and trans fat, which are found in fast food.
Instead, choose foods that are low in fat or contain healthy fats, such as fish, boiled or grilled chicken breast, low-fat dairy, nuts, and leafy greens.
2. Quit smoking
Smoking habits can increase the risk of cholesterol plaque formation in blood vessels. Therefore, stop smoking to reduce the risk of plaque buildup due to high cholesterol.
3. Exercise regularly
In addition to doing the two methods above, to prevent an increase in cholesterol levels and help lower cholesterol levels, you are also advised to do regular exercise.
Signs of high cholesterol sometimes can not be felt directly. So if you have risk factors such as unhealthy eating habits or patterns, smoking, obesity, or have experienced the complaints described above, do regular health checks with your doctor. This is necessary to determine cholesterol levels and prevent complications due to high cholesterol levels.