How to lead a healthy life after a heart attack?

Heart attack is a type of ischemic heart disease related to insufficient blood supply that can be caused by multiple causes. However, these types of health problems have a psychological dimension that should not be overlooked.

Therefore, in this article we will review the main tips to keep in mind to lead a healthy life after having suffered a heart attack.

• Related article: "The 7 most common types of cardiovascular diseases (and symptoms)"

Tips for leading a healthy life after having suffered a heart attack

Here you will find the main recommendations and general advice to take into account to lead a healthy and active life, but without falling into stress, after suffering a heart attack, although the specific indications of the doctor who has treated the person studying their case always weigh more particular. And of course, you have to follow in a disciplined way the medication plans prescribed by the doctor.

1. Avoid drug use

One of the main recommendations made by health professionals once you have suffered a heart attack is to avoid at all costs the consumption of drugs of all kinds, especially psychostimulants.

Psychostimulants such as amphetamines, cocaine or methylxanthines are highly related with cardiovascular accidents and increase the risk of suffering from them after repeated consumption of themselves.

In addition to that, alcohol consumption should also be avoided, a drug whose consumption also increases the risk of suffering from alcoholic cardiomyopathies and many other types of cardiovascular diseases.

Tobacco is another of the most harmful addictive substances for our health for those who have a high risk of suffering a heart attack, and scientific research in this regard has shown that its consumption increases the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases and all kinds of alterations in the heart.

People who smoke regularly are more likely to develop all kinds of smoking-related diseases throughout their lives. heart, among the most common thrombi stand out, which can cause heart attacks and also atherosclerosis or deterioration of the arteries.

That is why people who have had a heart attack are strongly advised to eliminate complete the tobacco of their lives and be at all times in a smoke-free environment, both inside and outside From home.

• You may be interested: "The Effects of Tobacco on the Brain"

3. Have a fixed schedule

Set detailed and fixed weekly schedules on the activities that we must carry out every day and every hour will allow us to carry out all the tasks and occupations that we must attend to in time.

In addition to that, following clear routines and being clear at all times about what we should do will help us not to improvise or placing ourselves in stressful situations due to lack of time or planning that may affect our health cardiovascular.

• Related article: "Time management: 13 tips to take advantage of the hours of the day"

4. Do moderate physical exercise

Physical exercise is one of the healthiest activities that exist for both our physical and mental health, also after having had a heart attack, as long as we adjust it to the efforts we can make; That is why one of the most common recommendations for people who have suffered a health crisis of this type is to perform routines that keep our muscles activated.

Weekly exercise should be done at the intensity level your doctor has recommended to keep you fit the circulatory system and not reach levels of physical demand that could endanger our health convalescent.

• Related article: "The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise"

5. Avoid binge eating

Binge eating usually occurs in situations of anxiety or stress, even not really hungry. But if it becomes ne something frequent, it damages physical and mental health.

That is why after an accident of this type it is important to prevent, above all, the possibility of binge eating. food that can present problems for our circulatory system. This can be achieved by putting into practice a series of daily strategies.

Some of these strategies that we can use to avoid binge eating can be: Avoid going to the supermarket hungry, stop having ultra-processed snacks that are easily accessible at all times and eat according to a daily schedule rigid.

6. Sleep well

Sleeping the necessary hours to rest also prevents the appearance of all kinds of cardiovascular problems and helps us not to be vulnerable to stress and anxiety due to fatigue.

Maintaining good sleeping habits will help us successfully overcome our recovery, as will having a calm and uneventful rhythm of life.

• You may be interested: "10 basic principles for good sleep hygiene"

7. Eat well

Eating well means starting a healthy diet with recommended foods for our specific case, which can be indicated by a doctor or nutritionist, and also follow a stable schedule of meals, to always do them at the same hour and not give in so much to the temptation to snack between meals.

Healthy eating is a fundamental pillar on which we will build our recovery, which is why it is advisable to leave to consume processed, fatty, fried or very sweet foods and start eating more fruit, vegetables, legumes and foods light.

8. relaxation exercises

In order to delve into relaxing habits in our new life, we can also do all kinds of relaxation exercises once a day, with the aim of overcoming the possible stress that we may be feeling.

The relaxation exercises that we can put into practice daily can be Mindfulness, yoga or the different types of oriental relaxation that exist and that can be easily trained.

9. go to the psychologist

Another of the recommendations that we can follow after suffering a heart attack is to take care of a professional psychologist to treat all those problems or alterations that we can continue to feel at a psychological level associated with health, and that can be cause and/or consequence of risk situations for our heart.

A psychologist will listen to everything we need to share and will give us all kinds of guidelines and strategies to lead a more relaxed and healthy life according to our health needs.

Do you need professional psychological help?

If you are looking for the services of a psychologist, contact me.

My name is Thomas Saint Cecilia and I can assist you in person or by video call.