How to Improve Heart Health Through Lifestyle and Medication

Your heart muscle pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout your body so that all your organs function properly. You can make various lifestyle changes to support your heart health and keep your heart working properly, such as eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising, and quitting tobacco.

If you have a heart condition or are at risk for heart disease, lifestyle changes, regular medical checkups, and using any medications as directed can improve your heart health.

1. Prioritize Nutrition

Choose nutrient-dense foods to protect your heart health. Focus on a varied diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats, and whole grains. Avoid or minimize processed meats, added sugars, sodium, saturated fats, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Swap sugary drinks for plain water, milk, or unsweetened tea. Talk to a healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian, for support.

2. Exercise Regularly

People who are inactive are nearly twice as likely to develop heart disease. Current guidelines recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate, heart-pumping activity. That breaks down to 30 minutes a day, five times a week. However, you can break that down even further to suit your schedule.

If you don't have an established exercise routine, try new types of physical activity. If you're new to exercise, consult a healthcare provider first, and start slowly to avoid injury or other complications.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight can improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar numbers. A loss of 5% to 10% of your body weight can make a difference in your health. (If you're 200 pounds, that's a 10- to 20-pound loss). Eating healthier and moving more both can assist with weight loss.

4. Sleep Well

Poor sleep can contribute to your cardiovascular (heart) disease risk. Most adults need seven to nine hours each night. Make small changes to improve your sleep habits, such as going to bed slightly earlier each night or staying off your phone before bedtime.

Speak with a healthcare provider if you still have trouble getting enough sleep. A medical condition like insomnia or sleep apnea may be affecting your ability to sleep well.

5. Avoid Tobacco

Tobacco contributes to heart health risks, so the best thing you can do is avoid tobacco in all of its forms (e.g., e-cigarettes and vaping). If you smoke, seek help to quit. Fortunately, there are many resources available.

6. Monitor Your Health

Monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar can reveal a lot about your health. Maintain regular health checkups where these numbers are tracked, and make sure you have a copy of your numbers in case you need to see them.

Some people monitor their daily activity through devices like smartwatches.

Where Heart Medication Factors In

Sometimes, lifestyle changes aren't enough to support your heart health. A healthcare provider may prescribe medications to maintain or improve your heart health.

For instance, if you have high blood pressure, heart medications like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can lower your blood pressure, decreasing your risk for heart issues or a stroke.

If you have high cholesterol, medications can lower your cholesterol numbers and reduce the chance of a medical event like a heart attack.

You may have to take more than one type of heart medication to manage a heart condition. That's because the medicines may do different things to help your heart.

Talk to your prescribing healthcare provider if you're having trouble with the side effects or managing dosing. They may be able to recommend alternative medications. However, don't stop taking any medicines without getting the approval of your healthcare team.

Heart Strength With Damage: What's Possible

If you have a damaged or weak heart, you can strengthen it with heart-healthy lifestyle choices. Although some people's hearts weaken and stiffen with age, you can still make changes to lower your risk and maintain a strong heart. Talk to a healthcare provider for specific guidance on improving your weak heart if you have heart damage.

Valve Replacement, Transplant, and Related Surgeries

In some instances, you may need surgery to help strengthen your heart. There are various procedures and surgeries depending on the exact heart problem or condition. Some standard heart procedures and surgeries include:

• Valve replacement: A surgery to replace a damaged or diseased valve that pumps blood to the heart.
  
• Radiofrequency ablation: A procedure that uses electrical signals to treat abnormal heart rhythms.
• Coronary angioplasty: A procedure to restore adequate blood flow to blocked arteries.
• Stent placement: A procedure where healthcare providers place a wire mesh tube to help keep an artery open after a coronary angioplasty.
• Heart transplant: A procedure to replace a diseased heart with a healthy heart.

Summary

Certain lifestyle behaviors can support heart health and keep it strong. However, some people need additional treatment, such as medication or surgery, to improve or maintain their heart health. Speak with a healthcare provider before making a significant health change, like starting exercise for the first time.