You have moved to a new house and invited your family for dinner. Your heart just skipped a beat. And you know why – because you’re so excited to show off your home décor style all done by yourself! But then again, after a few days, you feel those abnormal heart rhythms again. Is it normal? Probably, yes. Or probably, no.
Also called Arrhythmias, even people without any heart disease can experience abnormal heart beats. If you have never had a heart issue before, then experiencing irregular heartbeats can sometimes be normal. However, for those who are suffering from some heart problems already, they need to be cautious about having arrhythmias. That’s because the causes of arrhythmia are not always clear. Therefore, the best you can do is to prevent this deadly disease even before it begins.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Arrhythmias
Before you begin to take care of your heart health, it’s essential to know about the causes that may trigger arrhythmias or abnormal heartbeats.
Some of the risk factors you should be wary of include coronary artery disease (this occurs when there’s a blockage in pipes/arteries of the heart), diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, stress, drug abuse, advancing age, inheritance of heart disease (family history), sleep apnea, specific medications, herbal remedies, or dietary supplements.
How to Monitor and Treat Arrhythmia If You Have It Already
If you’re diagnosed with heart disease or arrhythmia, try not to worry because thinking about this health problem will only make you more stressed out. Therefore, the solution is simple: get the right treatment immediately. Undeniably, treating an existing heart condition is an ideal way to stop it from getting worse.
Below are some of the ways through which you can treat your heart disorder:
Have regular medical checkups from certified doctors.
- Be aware that certain health conditions may result in increasing the risk for irregular heart rhythms. To do this, find out more about various types of heart disorders, diagnosis tests, and the best treatment options available. While doing so, make sure you consult the most credible doctor.
- Ask your doctor if the electrical system of your heart and its functionality of pumping blood are affected by any damage in your heart that could be caused by a heart attack (or because of some other medical reason). Also, before the diagnosis, find out from AbbottEP.com what it means to identify the rotors of your cardiac arrhythmias. This could help you select an appropriate treatment for your heart disorder.
- Learn about the significance of Ejection Fraction (EF). This measures your heart’s pumping function and is the fraction at which your heart pumps blood corresponding to each beat. Since a very low EF is the one and the only factor that predicts a high risk of sudden death (due to heart disorder), it’s equally crucial to find out how much EF should be ideal for a healthy heart to function.
- Follow all treatment plans recommended by your doctor. Also, take all prescribed medications without fail.
- Besides getting proper treatment, a follow-up can be the next best thing you can do for your heart health. During the follow-up session, inform your doctor if you feel any new symptoms or changes in the existing symptoms of abnormal heart rhythms. Depending on those symptom changes, the doctor will prescribe you different medications or will simply suggest to you what to do next.
Useful Tips to Prevent Arrhythmias and Other Heart Diseases
By adapting some healthy lifestyle changes right from today, it’s possible to take a proactive approach to prevent arrhythmias and other such heart disorders. Here’s what you should do:
- Exercise regularly, eat a heart-healthy diet, and avoid overeating.
- Say good-bye to smoking. Also, try your best to avoid being a passive smoker.
- Avoid the consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and other things that may lead to irregular heart rhythms.
- Distract your mind from unnecessary stress like anxiety, anger, or fear. To handle unavoidably stressful situations, explore ways to let go of your negative feelings.
- If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, diabetes, or thyroid disease, talk to your doctor about ways to control these health problems so that you can try your level best to reduce the risks of having an arrhythmia in future.
The Bottom Line
High blood pressure and atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) are said to be the most common causes of having an arrhythmia. However, even if you’re living with these two medical conditions, you can beat or at least lessen the risk factors associated with the occurrence of abnormal heart rhythms. This way, you’ll be able to stay away from the risk of developing arrhythmia.
Even if you have never experienced abnormal heart rhythms, then all you need to do is to remain conscious about your health. Though this requires you to maintain a healthy lifestyle while avoiding all unhealthy diet, it’s worth it for your health!
Freddie Law is at medical school and has big plans of entering into the cardiology field one day. He enjoys learning and is always keen to know more so often exceeds the required amount of research and academic work which is where his articles come in.
