ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: TIP TO STAY HEALTHY

WHAT IS ATRIAL FIBRILLATION?

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that can increase your risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY?

A few simple changes you can make and good habits you can practice to protect your heart, reduce atrial fibrillation symptoms, and help you feel your best:

Eating Smart: A diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy is always a good idea. Here are a few other diet tips for people who have AFib:

• Avoid saturated fat, trans fat, and salt to help control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This will also protect your blood vessels.
• Limit the amount of soda, coffee, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate you have. These can make your heart race.
• Cut back on alcohol. Large amounts can set off bouts of AFib.
• Regulate the amounts of vitamin K intake as it may interfere with the way blood thinners like warfarin work.

Become Active: Staying active will help control your weight, improve your sleep, and make your heart stronger. Try to stick with light to moderate exercises. Walk, swim, or ride a bike. Avoid very intense exercises that involve running or jumping.

Control Weight: You have a higher chance of AFib when you are too heavy. It also makes your AFib more likely to come back after a procedure such as ablation.

Stop Smoking: The nicotine in cigarettes can make this condition worse. Smoking also damages your blood vessels and raises your chances for heart disease and a heart attack.

Control Stress: Stress can trigger AFib episodes. Try relaxation techniques such as these:

• Deep breathing
• Exercise
• Massage
• Meditation
• Yoga

Get Enough Sleep: Adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. About half of people with AFib don't sleep well because their breathing stops over and over again during the night -- a condition called sleep apnoea.

Limit Medications and Supplements: Some medications, such as cough and cold medicines, have stimulants that can make your heart beat faster. Other medicines and supplements you take can interact poorly with your AFib drugs.

WHY KIMS?

KIMS has one of the premier atrial fibrillation clinic with the best cardiac surgeon in Hyderabad. Our team boasts of having the best atrial fibrillation specialist doctor in Hyderabad. We offer a full range of imaging techniques and diagnostic studies to diagnose atrial fibrillation. When more aggressive treatment is required, our best heart specialist for atrial fibrillation in Hyderabad ensures that patients benefit from the combined expertise of the multidisciplinary team of arrhythmia specialists, including heart surgeons, cardiologists and other specialists assembled based on the patient’s condition.