What you can do to stay active and live longer
More than 5.3 million people in this country have heart failure. Living with heart failure is a challenge, but one that can be met with a combination of good medical care and lifestyle modifications.
Ironically, in heart failure, the heart does not fail – rather, its ability to pump has been weakened due to a viral infection, heart attack, hypertension, diabetes or other cause. Not a disease so much as a collection of symptoms, heart failure hampers the effective circulation of blood throughout the body. The result is fatigue, shortness of breath, fluid retention and related problems.
Early treatment can slow progression
Early treatment with heart failure medications can slow its progression, reduce hospitalizations and prolong survival. But finding good medical care is only half the battle.
Lifestyle modification is just as critical to minimizing the symptoms of heart failure and allowing you to enjoy the activities that brought pleasure in the past.
“The benefits of quitting smoking, exercising regularly, losing excess weight, eating a low-salt diet, and taking your medications as directed cannot be overemphasized,” says Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Randall C. Starling, MD, Head of the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Heart & Vascular Institute.
5 steps you can take to maximize life with heart failure
- Stop smoking. Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your heart!
- Get regular exercise. Although exercising a weakened heart may seem unwise, an important clinical trial in 2008 showed that exercise was safe, and that it may help reduce hospitalizations and improve survival for many heart failure patients. Exercise also helps with weight loss, which can strain your heart. Ask your doctor which type of exercise is right for you, or for a hospital-based, monitored exercise program for heart patients.
- Watch your salt intake. Following a low-salt diet will help you control high blood pressure (hypertension) and edema (swelling from fluid retention), and decrease your breathlessness. You will also need to limit fluid intake to no more than eight cups per day.
- Get your rest. Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
- Take your medications. Your doctor may prescribe several medications. Be sure to take them as directed, and do not stop them without your doctor’s consent. If you have questions, ask your doctor.
Better together
Medications alone cannot help you make the most of life. “Together, lifestyle modification and medical therapy work better than either approach alone,” notes Dr. Starling.
If you have heart failure, your cardiologist and nurse practitioner will follow your progress closely, he adds. Should you need further treatment, there are many innovative procedures, device-based therapies, new medications and surgical procedures available to help you manage heart failure and keep you active much longer.
Related Content
Cleveland Clinic Kaufman Center for Heart Failure
Understanding Heart Failure
General Guidelines for Coping with Heart Failure
General Medication Guidelines for Heart Failure
Heart Failure Disease Management
Heart Failure Resources
Be Well™ eNews articles are written for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice. They have not been designed to replace a physician's assessment and medical judgment. Always consult with your physician first about anything related to your personal health.
