How should patients with heart failure take care of themselves after the Spring Festival? Please keep these "heart-protecting amulets"

The excitement of the Spring Festival has gradually faded, but for patients with heart failure, physical conditioning after the festival is crucial.

Some life changes during the Spring Festival have brought considerable challenges to the health of patients with heart failure. Timely adjustment of lifestyle after the festival can help them better recover their physical condition and reduce the risk of disease.

So, what factors during the Spring Festival have a greater impact on heart failure patients? How should they recuperate after the festival? The Xiangdong Hospital affiliated to Hunan Normal University will answer your questions below.

1. Factors affecting heart failure during the Spring Festival

1. Temperature factors

The Spring Festival falls in winter, and the cold weather causes the body's blood vessels to constrict, which in turn increases blood pressure and greatly increases the heart's workload. At the same time, the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart are prone to spasms, which makes the already underpowered heart "worse", lacking energy sources and causing increased damage to heart function. Although the Spring Festival has passed, the temperature is still unstable, and this cardiovascular condition cannot be ignored.

2. Dietary factors

During the Spring Festival, there are abundant delicacies, and high-oil, high-fat, high-salt and high-sugar foods fill the table. People often consume too much of these foods without realizing it, which increases the body's metabolic oxygen demand and increases the burden on the heart. In addition, a large amount of blood flows to the gastrointestinal tract to help digestion, and the blood supply to the heart is relatively reduced. Even if the diet returns to normal after the festival, the impact of the previous diet is still there, and the body needs some time to adjust.

3. Lifestyle factors

Visiting relatives and friends, gatherings and entertainment are important activities during the Spring Festival, which makes heart failure patients have frequent social activities, mood swings, and irregular work and rest. Blood pressure monitoring, daily exercise, and taking medication on time are key health management links that are easily forgotten in the busyness. After returning to normal life after the festival, the body is still in a relatively tired state, and it is urgent to restore a regular work and rest schedule and health management.

2. Maintenance Guide

1. Get enough rest

Heart failure patients are not as energetic as normal people, and the fatigue during the Spring Festival may make the body more tired. After the festival, you should ensure adequate sleep to give your body a full rest and reduce the burden on your heart. Patients in the acute stage and severe heart failure should mainly rest in bed. After the heart function improves, you can get out of bed and move around appropriately, but the amount of activity should be strictly controlled, and the standard is not to feel tired after the activity.

2. Adjust your eating habits

After the festival, you should return to a light and healthy diet as soon as possible. Eat 70% full at each meal, eat more green vegetables and fruits, and supplement vitamins and dietary fiber. Reduce the intake of high-oil, high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt foods to avoid adding extra burden to the heart. At the same time, control the amount of water you drink and take in carbohydrates, high-quality protein, inorganic salts and other nutrients in moderation. Also note that drinking and smoking are extremely harmful to the cardiovascular system and must be avoided. You should also stay away from "second-hand smoke" environments.

3. Take medication strictly according to doctor's orders

Treating heart failure is a long process, and drug treatment is crucial. After the holidays, you must continue to take your medication on time in strict accordance with the doctor's instructions, and you cannot stop or change medications without authorization. Commonly used drugs for treating heart failure, such as beta-blockers, enkephalinase inhibitors, aldosterone receptor inhibitors, and sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors, must be taken regularly and for a long time to effectively control the condition.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liu Hua, Cardiovascular Medicine Department 1, Xiangdong Hospital Affiliated to Hunan Normal University

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(Edited by Wx)