Contents:
- Medical Video: 10 Warning Signs Your Heart Isn't Working Properly
- How to prevent symptoms of relapsing heart failure with a healthy lifestyle
- 1. Get to know the symptoms
- 2. Reduce salt intake
- 3. Eat nutritious food
- 4. Regular exercise
- 5. Wear comfortable clothes
- 6. Get enough rest
- 7. Ask for help from the closest person
Medical Video: 10 Warning Signs Your Heart Isn't Working Properly
Even though you can feel your heart beat every day, most people often don't realize when their heart has a problem. One of them is when you experience symptoms of heart failure. Yes, the symptoms of this one heart disorder tend to be vague and usually only realized when the condition is severe.
Even though it is a serious disease, you do not need to rush anxiously when you have already been convicted of heart failure. Because the symptoms can be controlled by changing healthy lifestyles. So, what should be done so that the symptoms of heart failure do not recur easily? Check out the information below.
How to prevent symptoms of relapsing heart failure with a healthy lifestyle
Taking medication from a doctor can indeed help overcome heart failure. However, there is nothing wrong if you take part in making healthy lifestyle changes to help control the symptoms of heart failure that often relapse.
Here are the steps to controlling the symptoms of heart failure that you can do.
1. Get to know the symptoms
The American Heart Association (AHA) reveals that the first step you should take is to recognize the symptoms of heart failure as early as possible, as quoted from Everyday Health. However, this does not mean you only pay attention to the appearance or absence of chest pain, it is precisely to see changes in body weight every day. Why is that?
As previously explained, the symptoms of heart failure tend to be vague and not only in the form of chest pain or shortness of breath. So, you can't just rely on chest pain to detect heart failure.
Director of the cardiology department at St. Francis Hospital, New York, Dr. Richard Shlofmitz revealed that the easiest way is to weigh weight every morning. If your scales needle continues to move to the right, then this might be a sign that your body is experiencing water retention (fluid buildup in the body).
Water retention is one of the earliest symptoms of heart failure. Usually, these water deposits occur in the legs and cause swollen feet. In addition, symptoms of heart failure are also accompanied by shortness of breath, high blood pressure, and increased heart rate.
2. Reduce salt intake
Foods that contain salt should be avoided by people with heart failure. The more salt intake in the body, the more fluid will be trapped in the body. Over time, this can increase blood pressure, swollen feet, and shortness of breath which become a collection of symptoms of heart failure.
Therefore, limit the use of salt in food only a spoonful of tea, equivalent to 5 grams per day (2,000 mg sodium). Also avoid various snacks or canned foods, because they usually contain large amounts of hidden salt.
3. Eat nutritious food
Maintaining heart health is not just about avoiding foods that should not be eaten, but also ensuring that you always eat foods that are good for heart health.
The main key is to make sure you meet your daily fiber needs so that your blood sugar and cholesterol levels remain stable. An example is to multiply eating vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.
Also fulfill the intake of omega-3 fatty acids that are useful for preventing heart failure. Well, this can be fulfilled by consuming oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines as well as plant-based food ingredients such as chia seeds, beans, and flaxseeds (flaxseed).
4. Regular exercise
When was the last time you exercised? If you haven't been exercising for a long time, then don't be surprised if your symptoms of heart failure often recur.
You might avoid exercise because you are afraid that it will make your heart work harder and increase your risk of heart failure. But make no mistake. A heart specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. David Taylor expresses the opposite. Regular exercise can actually strengthen the heart's work.
Choose the type of aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming, or using a machine elliptical trainer for 30 minutes. Do it gradually according to your abilities. If you are used to it, then increase the intensity to 5 times a week for maximum results.
Before choosing one type of sport, you should consult a doctor first. Your doctor will adjust the type of exercise you like with your physical abilities.
5. Wear comfortable clothes
Swollen feet due to heart failure certainly make you uncomfortable when on the move. To overcome this, use comfortable clothes every day. Ranging from clothes, pants, to shoes.
If necessary, use special socks to help relieve pain due to swollen feet. This can also help increase the pressure of fluid that builds up in the legs and reduces swelling.
6. Get enough rest
Experts from the National Sleep Foundation revealed that sleep is one of the important factors for maintaining heart health. Although they have not found a link between the two, experts say that lack of sleep can lead to hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and inflammation which can increase the overall risk of heart failure.
People with heart failure often experience difficulty breathing while sleeping or when just lying down. As a solution, choose a comfortable pillow and soft pad so you can sleep better. Tell your doctor if you still have trouble sleeping.
7. Ask for help from the closest person
Being diagnosed with heart failure may make you sad, stressed, overly anxious, or even depressed. Not infrequently also, you may become more angry easily thinking about your health.
Although exercise can help stabilize emotions, some people feel this is not enough to improve mood. If you experience it, ask for support from your family, partner, or closest person to help control your emotions.
If necessary, visit a professional counselor to help deal with your anxiety. That way, you will feel calmer and more able to deal with the symptoms of heart failure that can occur at any time.
