Protect your heart health! How can patients with heart failure scientifically "nourish their hearts"? Please keep this life guide

Mr. Zhang is a patient with a history of heart disease. Recently, he always feels powerless. He is out of breath after a little activity and often wakes up from sleep at night. After going to the hospital for a check-up, it turns out that he has heart failure. This made Mr. Zhang and his family very anxious. What is heart failure? How to deal with it? Don't worry, today let's talk about how patients with heart failure can scientifically "nourish their hearts" and protect their "heart" health.

1. Understand the symptoms of heart failure and detect and respond early

Heart failure, in simple terms, means that the function of the heart as a "pump" has weakened and it is unable to deliver enough blood to all parts of the body. It has some typical symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, especially after activities or when lying down, feeling that you are short of breath, and in severe cases you have to sit up at night to breathe more comfortably; the body also becomes easily fatigued, and you will feel exhausted after just a little movement; there is also edema, the most common of which is swelling of the legs and ankles, with a pit when pressed. If you or someone around you has these symptoms, be alert and go to the hospital for a check-up.

2. Moderate exercise can reduce the burden on the heart and increase muscle

Many people think that if they have heart failure, they have to lie still. In fact, moderate exercise is good for the heart. However, different levels of heart function also require different exercise methods.

1. Friends with heart function level I are in relatively good physical condition and can choose to do exercises such as jogging and swimming, which are like "intensive training" for the heart, but don't tire yourself out.

2. For those with heart function level II, it is no problem for them to do some light physical work and housework in daily life. As for exercise, slow-paced activities such as Tai Chi and Ba Duan Jin are very suitable.

3. For those with heart function level III, slow walking is a good choice. You can also try Ba Duan Jin or Tai Chi.

4. For those with heart function level IV, it is still best to rest in bed and not try to exercise easily.

In short, patients with heart failure should exercise slowly, increasing the amount of exercise little by little. If they feel uncomfortable during exercise, stop immediately and see a doctor.

3. Dietary regulation can help your heart solve problems

Patients with heart failure should pay special attention to their diet. First of all, they should eat less salt. Eating too much salt will prevent the body from excreting water, which will increase the burden on the heart. It is best to control the daily salt intake to less than 3 grams. Those high-salt processed foods, pickles, sauces, etc. should not be eaten if possible. They should also eat less fat, eat more vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, cereals and fish, and eat less fatty meat and fried foods.

In addition, water should not be drunk casually. Generally speaking, people without obvious symptoms can consume 1.5 to 2.0 liters of liquid per day, and those with symptoms should control it within 1.5 liters. If the heart failure is severe and accompanied by poor kidney function, 500 to 1500 ml per day is enough. The amount of liquid here is not only the water you drink, but also the water in food and fruits.

4. Take medication regularly and monitor your heart daily to protect your heart

1. Drug treatment is the key to controlling heart failure. You must take your medicine on time and in the right dosage. Never increase or decrease the dosage or stop taking the medicine at will. If you have any problems, ask your doctor for adjustment.

2. Daily monitoring is very important. Weigh yourself regularly every day. If your weight suddenly increases in a short period of time, such as more than 1.5 kg in 24 hours, or more than 2 kg in 3 days, it may be that there is too much water in your body. You should tell your doctor immediately. Blood pressure and heart rate should also be measured regularly. Be careful to see if you have difficulty breathing or worsening edema. If there is any abnormality, seek medical attention in time.

Director Chai Xiaoli of the Department of Cardiology at the Hunan Provincial Second People's Hospital (Provincial Brain Hospital) told everyone not to panic if they have heart failure. As long as we learn and understand scientific methods of "nurturing the heart" and start from the little things in life, we can better control the disease and improve the quality of life.

Like Lao Zhang, after learning this knowledge, he actively adjusted his lifestyle and received treatment on time, and now his symptoms have been significantly improved. I hope every heart failure patient can take action to protect their "heart" health.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liang Jing, Department of Cardiology, Hunan Second People's Hospital (Provincial Brain Hospital)

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(Edited by Wx)