It’s American Heart Month, a time when everyone can focus on their cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States and the disease accounts for 1 in 4 deaths annually. This issue of SMART Health Insights brings you simple things you can do to take an active role in reducing your risk and staying heart healthy.

February 1st marked the beginning of American Heart Month. The 28-Day celebration and public campaign seeks to raise awareness about and provide strategies for preventing heart disease while encouraging people to live heart healthy lives. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States and the disease accounts for 1 in 4 deaths annually1. Key risks factors include smoking, high Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity and diabetes.

Your body needs a certain amount of sodium. Sodium helps your body maintain normal nerve and muscle function as well as fluid balance. But too much sodium, mostly consumed as salt, can spell trouble for your heart and health by placing added strain on your heart, blood vessels and kidneys as your body tries to get rid of any excess sodium.

Do you sometimes feel like you just can’t catch a break? You know — the truck that cut you off, the weird feedback you got from your boss, the grocery item you need but is never on the store shelf? Do you sometimes feel negative and cynical? Sure, we all do this a little, but doing it a lot can lead to depression, which is linked to poor heart health, more inflammation and even a weaker immune system. Yikes!

You know exercise is heart smart and good for you. But do you really know how much physical activity you’re getting? And how can you get more, day in and day out, for your heart health? A fitness tracker may help.

Visit the member portal today and discover how Marpai makes it easy for you to make the most of your health plan.

Marpai (Mar-pay), your employer health plan services provider, brings you SMART Health Insights to help you feel great and live well through better health. Every month you'll receive tips for better physical and mental wellness, highlights of exciting new health technology products and news from Marpai designed to improve your health journey. This is part of how your employer health plan helps you live well through better health. In this issue we examine caring for Winter Asthma, Making Your Resolutions Stick and how to create lasting healthy habits, Can a Nap Boost Brain Health? - It sure can, and Technology and Mental Health. Are you burning out your circuits? Plus learn how you can play a proactive role in your care journey as a Marpai member!

For many people, asthma attacks may happen more often in the winter. “There are two challenges for people with asthma in the winter. One is that they spend more time inside. The other is that it’s cold outside,” says H. James Wedner, MD, an asthma expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

New Year’s resolutions—they’re easy to make but easier to break. Why is it so hard to make the healthy changes that we know can help us feel better and live longer? And why is it so hard to make them last? NIH-funded scientists are learning more about how we can make healthy changes and, even more important, how we can sustain them.

Are you feeling a little guilty about your daily, mid-afternoon snooze? Don’t. Research shows that catching a few ZZZs after lunch can be good for your brain. But keep in mind that the length of your nap matters.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in any given year, and between four to five percent of U.S. adults have a serious mental illness. Approximately one in five youth in the U.S. have, or will have, a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime.