A Heart-Healthy Lifestyle for Atrial fibrillation
Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices are known to affect your chance of developing heart disease, and these same factors are also closely linked to the risk of having atrial fibrillation (a-fib).
In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart (atria) contract irregularly and much faster than normal. They quiver or fibrillate—hence the name atrial fibrillation. This leads to two major problem. First, small blood clots tend to form in the left atrium, which can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Second, the abnormal action in the atria cause the ventricles (the lower chambers of the heart) to also beat irregularly, decreasing the heart’s output.
Can a heart-healthy lifestyle prevent atrial fibrillation? Can it reduce symptoms?
Managing the risk factors for heart and blood vessel disease can improve the long-term outlook for people with atrial fibrillation. On a practical level, that could mean fewer episodes of a-fib and improvements in symptoms—in short, a better quality of life for you.
Focus on a heart healthy lifestyle
The ability of lifestyle changes to reduce the burden of atrial fibrillation remains an active area of research. In the meantime, you can take action to live a healthy and active lifestyle:
- If you smoke, quit.
- Control high blood pressure.
- Get treatment for sleep apnea, if you have it.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Limit alcohol use, or even better avoid it completely.
- Aim for healthy levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Get regular exercise.
- Get recommended vaccinations for the flu, COVID-19, RSV and pneumonia
For more information on treating or preventing atrial fibrillation, read Managing Atrial Fibrillation, an Online Guide from Harvard Medical School.
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