Health & Medical Diseases & Conditions

How Heart Patients Can Prevent Breathlessness?

Patients who are plagued with heart disease often complain of breathlessness or shortage of breath. It is caused by the reduced ability of your heart to fill and empty, thus creating more pressure on the blood vessels around your lungs. The most common indications of heart problems include exertion in breathing when lying on the bed. This is the most specific symptom related to cardiovascular issues. Other symptoms include sleeplessness at night, gasping for breath when exercising or indulging in some activity, coughing at night when lying down, extreme fatigue, and swelling of legs and ankles.

 

The cause of cardiovascular problems is generally due to some kind of damage to your heart muscles. Most patients suffer from heart attacks due to narrowing of the heart valves, leakage of valves, weakening of the heart muscle (caused by toxic elements like tobacco and alcohol), hereditary reasons and viral infections.

 

Heart related ailments also bring with it breathing problems. Some safety precautions, medications, surgery and change in lifestyle will help your heart pump blood in a better way and give you respite from shortage of breath. In this article, we are therefore going to talk about how you can prevent breathlessness.

 

SITTING STANDING & SLEEPING POSITIONS TO LESSEN SHORTAGE OF BREATH

 

To combat the inconveniences of shallow breathing, here are some sitting, sleeping and standing positions to give you relief:

 

SITTING

 

The following positions will benefit patients who gasp for breath during emotional excitement, activity, exposure to bad weather conditions or when feeling fatigued and need to rest.

 
  • Leaning the chest a little in the forward direction
  • Resting your feet flat on the ground
  • Relaxing the muscles of your shoulder and neck
  • Resting your elbow on knees
  • Resting your chin on the hands
  • Try resting your head on some pillows or your forearms
  • Resting your arms on a table

 

STANDING

 
  • If you are panting, relax by leaning your hips against any support, such as a wall
  • When exercising or performing some activity, rest your hands               on your thighs when gasping for breath
  • Rest your hands or elbows on any furniture
  • Relax your neck by resting your head on your forearms

 

SLEEPING

 
  • Lie down on the bed with a pillow or cushion in the middle of your legs. Make sure your head is raised with some pillows and makes you feel comfortable. Ensure that you keep your back straight when lying down.
  • You can also lie down with your head raised, knees bent and a pillow below your knees.

 

EATING HEALTHY

 

Breathlessness can also be averted if you are on a healthy diet. When you have all the healthy ingredients included in your diet, it helps in controlling your weight. This is the reason you must avoid food items that are high in salt, fat and sugar. These elements will make you gain more weight and aggravate shallow breathing.

 

Drink lots of water every day. Avoid drinking too many cups of coffee, tea and aerated drinks. Alcohol consumption should also be avoided.

 

TAKING CARE WHEN EXERCISING

 

If your physician has suggested some exercise, perform them with care. Do not exert yourself to the extent that you feel short of breath. Overdoing will not only make you gasp for breath but also giddy.

 

In case you feel too breathless and get panicky, consult a professional heart specialist immediately without fail.

 

Nicholas:

Nicholas Hedge is associated with cardiology treatments for years now. In this article, he has discussed about how heart patients can prevent breathlessness after reading some articles written by renowned heart specialists who offer effective shortness of breath treatment in Huntington beach.

 

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