Avoid Unnecessary Demands on Your Heart

If you’re living with heart failure, making healthy lifestyle choices can have a big impact on how you feel. It’s all about taking as much stress off of your heart as possible. You can reduce the work your heart has to do by:

• Limiting sodium and fluid intake
• Eating a heart-healthy diet
• Finding the right balance of rest and physical activity
• Avoiding alcohol
• Quitting smoking

Some other ways to take stress off your heart are:

• Avoid extreme temperatures since they make your body work harder to maintain its normal temperature.
• Don’t wear tight-fitting clothing since it can cause problems with blood flow.
• Stay healthy by getting a flu shot or a pneumonia shot every year.
• Avoid being around people who are sick.
• Add stress-reduction methods into your life, yoga, or meditation.

By taking care of your heart every day, you can improve your symptoms and make a big difference in how you feel each day.