The wave of pandemic brought much anticipated chaos, and while almost all of it was regarding chronic breathing, most of us forgot how to keep your heart healthy amidst the pandemic.
There were many cases where heart health was greatly affected by the illness caused by COVID-19. And while it’s true that having COVID-19 poses a greater risk there are things that you can do to protect your heart during COVID-19.
Table of Contents
How to Maintain Good Cardiovascular Health
Maintaining cardiovascular health should be your top priority. How to keep your heart healthy? Let’s read to find out.
Maintain your Social Distancing
Keeping up with your new normal that is staying home, maintaining as much social distance as possible and limiting your physical interaction is the best thing you can do for yourself right now. Often heart patients are advised to be more surrounded by nature and keep up with some light activity, however this season many doctors are advising their patients to stay as much indoors as possible.
Apart from maintaining social isolation, start wearing a mask and sanitize your hands as much as possible. These are the maximum precautions to take. It may not seem to affect your heart health in a direct manner however it is crucial that you make sure maximum precautions are taken regardless.
Be More Conscious about your Healthy Lifestyle
I am sure you were already well aware of habits that were to keep your heart healthy however it is now more important than ever to keep up with the basics around you. Here is how you can stay healthy by:
- Communicating with your doctor– this is the time where your doctor seems like the most important person with your best interests. If you feel any change in your overall physical health, ring your doctor straight away.
- Eat healthy- Make sure to eat healthier than you were previously. You can start doing it on your own now as well so that you also incorporate more movement in your lifestyle.
- Get enough rest– the current pandemic is the perfect time to just lay down in your bed and chill. Make sure to have 8 hours of sleep.
- Monitor your Blood Pressure– previously if you have known to have hypertension making sure to have normal blood pressure become exceptionally crucial. The best way to do that is to ask a family member to help you with monitoring your blood pressure from time to time, in case you forget.
- Light exercises- doing light exercises or just moving within your living room is a good thing. If you have not been very domestic previously this is your perfect chance of learning to help with domestic chores.
You can choose from different fruits and vegetables as well, especially kiwi fruit is great for your heart.
Seek Immediate Help
There is significant data on how to know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19. However if you experience any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical help:
- Dry cough – if it’s consistent and something like you have never experienced before, consult with your primary physician right away.
- Fever, chills and very high temperature
- Continuous shortness of breath or trouble in breathing
- Severe body pain or muscular pain
- Extreme weakness or low strength
- Loss of taste and smell
- Unexplained nausea, diarrhea or vomiting
If you have major heart issues, you need to watch out for the following symptoms such as:
- Tightness of chest from time to time
- Chest pain, pressure or shortness of breath after light physical exertion
- Arm or muscle weakness
- Trouble in moving facial muscle
- Blurry speech
- Loss of vision
- Severe migraines
- Passing out or fainting
- Sudden spells of dizziness
Take Extra Care of your Medications
Blood pressure issues became common nor after the pandemic hit at full scale. Many experts were of the view that heart patients should cut down on their blood pressure medications. Studies however showed that there was no link between blood pressure medication and COVID-19 risk. So it is highly advised to keep taking their medications without relying on any conclusive science or data suggested by the internet.
Make use of Telehealth Services
Many cardiologists are now offering online services. Healthwire.pk has some of the best cardiologists from all over Pakistan, who are offering their online services through video consultation or booking an appointment. They have also introduced telemedicine services that are helping people getting their medicines directly at their homes. By availing all of these services you can make sure that you are hitting your health goals, have complete check on your meds and are dealing with corona sensibly.
Maintain a Healthy Body weight
Isolation can lead to bare minimum activity that can easily lead to weight gain. This can be very dangerous if you already struggle with issues like bad cholesterol, hypertension, blood pressure or high glucose levels. This is the time you can experiment with healthy recipes such as smoothies, salads and soups. You can also try Yoga which requires minimal efforts yet keeps you on your toes.
Keep your Hopes High!
Despite the social isolation, the pandemic has certainly left some of its negative impact on people. The best way to handle that is to keep your spirits high. If you haven’t touched down on any specialist yet, we strongly suggest you get in touch with one of our heart specialists right away for an evaluation of your heart health.
