The 3 best treatment tips for heart failure

A good life is possible with heart failure - and you can do a lot yourself to ensure stable heart health! We give you 3 tips to stop the progression of the disease and actively organise your life with heart failure.

1.

Take your illness into your own hands

To avoid any misunderstandings: Regularly taking the medication prescribed by your doctor is an irreplaceable component of treatment. However, several factors ultimately lead to successful treatment - and this is where your initiative is particularly important!

Our first tip is therefore: get actively involved in the therapy and find out about your illness and the best way to deal with it.

What can this look like in concrete terms?

  • Use Counselling and information services from trustworthy organisations (e.g. the German Heart Foundation) to keep up to date on heart failure. Patient magazines, newsletters, social networks or information events for patients on the topic of heart health are helpful sources.
  • Participation in a structured patient education for heart failure patients strengthens your competence and personal responsibility. Research online offers and talk to your cardiologist about useful programmes.
  • Self-help groups for heart failure patients offer good contact points for exchanging experiences with other sufferers and supporting each other. You can find a group near you here: https://herzstiftung.de

2.

Monitor your heart health

Heart failure is a progressive disease with a gradual course. The aim is therefore to halt its progression as far as possible and prevent acute episodes of the disease (decompensations).

To do this, measure regularly Central values of heart health (such as blood pressure, heart rate and weight) in order to

  • monitor the progress of your disease,
  • to check the effectiveness of the therapy and
  • recognise disease flare-ups at an early stage.

You also have the option of having your values monitored by your cardiologist's practice (Telemonitoring in heart failure). To do this, you simply transmit your measured values directly to your practice every day via the app. If your values become critical, your cardiologist can intervene quickly and adjust your treatment accordingly. Find out exactly how this works here.

Telemonitoring bei Herzinsuffizienz

3.

Adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle

Admittedly, this is easier said than done. But your everyday habits have an immense effect on your heart function - and therefore represent a great opportunity for you to positively influence it.

Pay particular attention to the following factors:

  • Balanced diet: A balanced diet protects the heart and reduces inflammation. Vegetables, wholemeal products, pulses, nuts, seeds and healthy fats are particularly helpful for this. A Mediterranean diet based on olive oil, fish, herbs and plenty of vegetables is recommended.
  • Regular exercise: Daily exercise strengthens the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure and promotes blood circulation. For stable heart failure, light daily exercise is ideal, e.g. walking, cycling or swimming. People with advanced heart failure should consult their doctor before starting to exercise.
  • Stress management: Stress can put a strain on the heart and lead to high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia or a heart attack. Identify and reduce your stress factors and incorporate regular relaxation and breathing exercises into your daily routine.
  • Healthy sleep: Healthy sleep is essential for the recovery of body and mind. A lack of sleep, on the other hand, puts a strain on the cardiovascular system. Sleep at least seven hours a night and maintain good sleep hygiene. This includes, for example, a regular sleep rhythm, a dark sleeping environment and a comfortable temperature.
  • Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption: Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are two of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. It is recommended to give up smoking completely and to limit alcohol consumption as much as possible.

Good to know: Rehabilitation in a cardiac clinic is an excellent opportunity to familiarise yourself with the various facets of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Speak to your doctor to find out whether rehabilitation is an option for you.

Conclusion

Heart failure is associated with limitations and burdens for those affected. However, the good news is that you yourself have a great deal of influence on the further course of the disease. The tips listed here only serve as starting points for learning how to deal with the disease in a self-determined way.

Now your initiative is required!

Kardiologie

Telemonitoring in heart failure

Monitor your heart health digitally - with the SaniQ telemonitoring platform! 

Learn more

Source:

*The content presented here is for your information only and is not a substitute for advice or treatment by a registered doctor. Under no circumstances can it replace the advice of a doctor and/or pharmacist. Furthermore, the contents of this website are not suitable for making independent diagnoses or starting treatment.

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