Arrhythmia and heart failure are two incurable diseases. People suffering from them must follow specific recommendations while remaining extra vigilant in their daily lives. Discover the warning signs, risk factors, and precautions to take when suffering from these conditions. But first, let's look at what they actually are.
Arrhythmia is an anomaly affecting the heart rate, usually causing the heart to beat too quickly (tachycardia), too slowly (bradycardia), or irregularly.
Heart failure directly affects the heart muscle, meaning the muscle can no longer properly pump blood throughout the body. This disease can be extremely severe if not detected in time.
Warning signs
- Edema & heavy leg sensation: these symptoms are generally due to water retention following the consumption of too much sodium in ingested foods. Edema and heavy legs are among the most common symptoms. Swelling can be expected in the ankles, feet, legs, hands, etc. To recognize edema, simply press on it; if the swelling retains the mark of your finger, it is indeed edema. To relieve these two symptoms, you can opt for compression stockings to wear daily, but you can also use an adapted pillow to relieve this feeling of discomfort.
- Sleep disturbances: once lying down, sufferers experience a severe cough, which can lead to difficulty falling asleep.
- Cognitive disorders: memory loss, confusion, mood/behavior changes, difficulty performing usual tasks, etc., may be observed.
- Decreased energy: people suffering from arrhythmia or heart failure often experience significant physical and mental fatigue.
- Nocturnal incontinence: due to heart failure, it is more difficult to hold urine during sleep. For men, you can put a mattress protector on your mattress just in case, and for women, you can use anti-leakage panties to avoid any last-minute mishaps.
- Other warning signs: loss of appetite, palpitations, migraines, extremities of the body colder than normal (toes, fingers, etc.), pain in the liver and ribs, rapid shortness of breath.
Risk factors
Certain factors directly or indirectly lead to severe arrhythmia or heart failure; these factors are generally related to lifestyle. Indeed, a "healthy" lifestyle with a good diet and regular physical activity is preferable to avoid such disorders. However, obesity, diabetes, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, anemia, sleep apnea, sedentary lifestyle, etc., increase the risk of heart failure or arrhythmia.
Precautions to take
Thus, to improve the quality of your lifestyle, small precautions should be taken and included in your routine.
- Eat better by reducing salt and fat in your dishes; include walnuts as snacks in your diet.
- Grab your best sports shoes and move more. 30 minutes of physical activity per day can literally change your life.
→ Discover how to exercise effectively without leaving your home.
- Take your water bottle everywhere with you to force yourself to drink a reasonable amount of water daily. Moreover, you can flavor it with seasonal fruits! ⚠️ In some cases, your doctor may recommend reducing water intake to limit sodium levels in the blood.
- Equip yourself with the necessary tools to monitor your temperature and blood pressure daily. Our pack is ideal for monitoring your heart rate and thus preventing heart disease.
- Sleep more! Getting restorative sleep every night can only be beneficial for your health.
→ Discover how to overcome your insomnia right here.
- Finally, the last but not least point, as it's easier said than done, is to quit alcohol and tobacco.
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