BENGALURU: Our heart is the most important muscle in the body. It contracts and relaxes with each heartbeat to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Heart failure is a progressive disease, in which the heart muscle weakens and becomes stiff overtime, which reduces its ability to pump properly.
This reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients circulated to vital organs of the body. Heart Failure can be caused due to various factors like a prior heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, consumption of drugs and lack of physical activity. With recent advances in medicines, heart failure can be effectively managed, along with some positive lifestyle changes:
Maintain a healthy diet
A healthy diet is the key to manage most diseases. In case of heart failure, your doctor might advice you to eat smaller meals at frequent intervals. Digestion of small amount of foods, saves you from putting strain on your body and heart. One should also focus on picking healthy food options over oily, salted, preserved or junk food.
Reducing fluid intake
In case of heart failure, the body tends to retain fluid. To manage this, your doctor may recommend limiting your fluid intake, including water, other beverages, fruits and even ice cream. It is recommended to consume not more than 2 litres of liquid per day. Weighing yourself everyday will help keep a track of fluid retention in the body.
Control salt consumption
The sodium in salt causes the body to retain water. With more fluids in the body, the heart is unable to pump properly. As a consequence, fluid backs up in the body. One can take care of the salt intake, by adding minimal salt to the food prepared at home and replacing it with spices and herbs to keep the food flavourful.
When buying food items, it is advisable to read the package label and check for the salt content. Heart Failure patients should also avoid foods that are inherently salty, such as: bread, cheese, cured meats, ready-to-eat packaged meals, canned foods, salted nuts and salad dressings and sauces.
Limit alcohol intake and don’t smoke
Smoking can lead to further weakening of the heart muscle of a heart patient. Alcohol intake should also be zero or bare minimum, as drinking alcohol can increase blood pressure, which in turn impacts the heart muscle.
Include physical activity in your daily routine
Exercise is helpful to maintain overall well-being and the heart muscle also benefits from it. It helps regulate blood flow, maintain healthy body weight and control blood pressure. Exercise will also signal your brain to release chemicals that make you feel positive. Heart failure patients can include short walks as part of their daily life.
Use your energy wisely
People living with heart failure experience constant fatigue. Therefore, they should plan their day in a manner that they get enough rest between activities and could recharge themselves.
The author is the professor & head of cardiology, director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research