Living with heart failure requires careful monitoring as well as some major lifestyle changes. It takes both medical treatment and self-care.
Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart cannot pump well enough to supply the body with all the oxygen and nutrients it needs. This can cause tiredness, shortness of breath, and a buildup of fluids in the lower part of the body, stomach, and neck. Heart failure can lead to kidney or liver damage, irregular heartbeat, and sudden cardiac arrest.
The terms"heart failure"and “congestive heart failure” are often used interchangeably. Butcongestive heart failurerefers to a specific type of heart failure that includes a buildup of fluids (congestion) throughout the body.
1. Learn More About the Type of Heart Failure You Have
The type of heart failure you have can affect your treatment plan, such as your options for medicines and medical procedures. Understanding your diagnosis can help you manage it in the best possible way.
Types of heart failureinclude:
Right-sided heart failureoccurs when theright ventricle(one of the heart’s two lower chambers) cannot pump enough blood to the lungs, where it should pick up new oxygen and return to the left side of the heart. This causes blood to pool on the right side of the heart.
Left-sided heart failureoccurs when the left ventricle can’t supply enough blood to the rest of the body, causing blood to pool on the left side of the heart. Left-sided heart failure can bediastolic(preserved ejection fraction), which means the left ventricle becomes stiff and can’t fill with blood between beats. Or, it can besystolic(reduced ejection fraction), which means the left ventricle is weak and doesn’t contract normally, allowing less blood into circulation.
Biventricular heart failureinvolves both the right and left sides of the heart.
Heart failure can be acute or chronic, as follows:
If you havecongestive heart failure, it means that fluids are backing up into tissues, causing congestion and active symptoms.
2. Keep Your Treatment Plan on Schedule
Most people with heart failure take medicines to treat symptoms or prevent the condition from worsening. You may need to take these once a day or more often. Taking them at the right time and exactly as prescribed is important.
Skipping doses or stopping can lead to problems. Consult a healthcare provider before changing your medication or taking new medicines for your heart or other conditions. This includes over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and dietary supplements.
3. Log Your Health at Home
Keep a journal or app to track your health between healthcare provider visits. Helpful information may include:
Rapid weight gain, even as little as 1 or 2 pounds, can be a sign of fluid retention.Take your weight at the same time every day.
Bringing the log to each medical appointment can reveal what’s normal for you over time and alert your healthcare provider to changes.
4. Get Regular Checkups
Ask your healthcare provider if you’re up to date on vaccines, particularly yearly vaccines for respiratory illnesses such asflu,COVID-19, andrespiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
5. Cut Back on Fluids
Staying hydrated is crucial, but people with heart failure may need to cut back on fluids to avoid buildup. This may not be necessary in early-stage heart failure. But if your heart failure is more advanced, you may have to limit fluids to 6 to 9 cups a day.
How much you should drink depends on factors such asheart failure stage, comorbid conditions or complications, and whether you’re takingdiuretics(water pills). That’s why it’s important to discuss fluid intake with your healthcare provider.
Water is ideal for hydration, and avoiding sports drinks is best unless your provider recommends them. Feeling thirsty is normal when restricting fluids. Some ways to relieve thirst are:
It’s also important to be aware ofsigns of dehydrationsuch as:
6. Limit Salt in Your Diet
Everyone needssaltto support vital body functions and control the balance of fluids. But too much sodium increases blood volume, which can raiseblood pressureand cause the heart to work harder. Salt also causes you toretain more water, which can lead to bloating. If you’re sensitive to salt, it can affect blood pressure even more.
It’s likely that most of the sodium you get comes from packaged, prepared, or restaurant foods, so eating those less often can helpcut down on sodium. You can also restrict use of the salt shaker during food prep.
Current guidelines recommend a sodium intake of 1,500 to 3,000 milligrams a day, though there’s some debate over the maximum sodium intake for people with heart failure. There’s also concern that restricting sodium too much can lead to poorer nutrition and poor outcomes.
The amount of sodium you need depends on factors such as age, type of heart failure, and any comorbid conditions. It’s best to get a personalized recommendation regardingsodium intakefrom your cardiologist (heart specialist) or other provider.
7. Stay Active
Heart failure symptoms such as tiredness and shortness of breath can make you cautious about physical activity. But for people with heart failure, regular exercise may provide benefits such as:
If you’re just starting out, it’s best to start slowly, such as taking leisurelywalks. From there, you can build up gradually while being careful not to overdo it. Always check with your cardiologist or other healthcare provider before ramping up your exercise routine or starting a new one.
Whether you should have sex depends on the severity of your heart failure, along with your symptoms. Your provider can tell you whether it’s safe for you or not.
8. Get Quality Sleep
Many people with heart failure also havesleep apnea(pauses in breathing during sleep) or othersleep disorders.Sleep disorders can be a cause or an effect of congestive heart failure.
If you consistently wake up tired or suspect you have a sleep disorder, speak with a healthcare provider. Asleep evaluationcan help determine what’s going on. In the meantime, here are sometips for getting quality sleep:
9. Quit Smoking, Drugs, and Alcohol
When you smoke, nicotine causes a temporary increase in heart rate and blood pressure. The carbon monoxide in smoke binds to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells, displacing oxygen, so your heart and brain get less oxygen. Smoking also increases the chances of blood clots, decreases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cholesterol), and makes exercising harder.
Substances such as alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine can contribute to worse symptoms and worse outcomes in people with heart failure.
10. Know When to Call Your Healthcare Provider
Know the signs thatheart failure is getting worse. Look for new or worsening signs of fluid buildup such as:
Reporting a problem early allows your healthcare team to take steps to prevent excessive fluid buildup and potentially lower the chances of hospitalization.
Tips for Caring for Someone With Heart Failure
Someone with heart failure may need emotional, as well as practical support. Basics tobeing an effective caregiverinclude:
Caring for a loved one can be fulfilling, but it can also become physically and emotionally exhausting. Enlist help whenever possible. Take time to care for yourself and avoidcaregiver burnout.
Summary
Heart failure is a chronic condition that requires medical treatment. Lifestyle adjustments and self-care are also crucial to quality of life. Taking steps like limiting salt, getting quality sleep, and staying active can help manage heart failure. It’s also important to keep up with medical appointments and monitor your health between visits.
Self-care tips vary according to the type and stage of heart failure. Your cardiologist can make recommendations based on your diagnosis and overall health.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is heart failure?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart failure.Mount Sinai.Types of heart failure.Mount Sinai.Heart failure – medicines.British Heart Foundation.Heart matters.University of Maryland Medical System.Staying hydrated when you have heart failure.American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.Chrysohoou C, Mantzouranis E, Dimitroglou Y, Mavroudis A, Tsioufis K.Fluid and salt balance and the role of nutrition in heart failure.Nutrients.2022;14(7):1386. doi:10.3390/nu14071386Penn Medicine.5 Tips for exercise with heart failure.American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart failure.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure treatment.UCLA Health.Sleep disorders. Heart disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Five ways to sleep well and protect your heart.Grubb AF, Green SJ, Fudim M, Dewald T, Mentz RJ.Drugs of abuse and heart failure.J Card Fail. 2021;27(11):1260-1275. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2021.05.023Additional ReadingNational Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Heart failure – home monitoring.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is heart failure?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart failure.Mount Sinai.Types of heart failure.Mount Sinai.Heart failure – medicines.British Heart Foundation.Heart matters.University of Maryland Medical System.Staying hydrated when you have heart failure.American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.Chrysohoou C, Mantzouranis E, Dimitroglou Y, Mavroudis A, Tsioufis K.Fluid and salt balance and the role of nutrition in heart failure.Nutrients.2022;14(7):1386. doi:10.3390/nu14071386Penn Medicine.5 Tips for exercise with heart failure.American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart failure.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure treatment.UCLA Health.Sleep disorders. Heart disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Five ways to sleep well and protect your heart.Grubb AF, Green SJ, Fudim M, Dewald T, Mentz RJ.Drugs of abuse and heart failure.J Card Fail. 2021;27(11):1260-1275. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2021.05.023Additional ReadingNational Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Heart failure – home monitoring.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is heart failure?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart failure.Mount Sinai.Types of heart failure.Mount Sinai.Heart failure – medicines.British Heart Foundation.Heart matters.University of Maryland Medical System.Staying hydrated when you have heart failure.American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.Chrysohoou C, Mantzouranis E, Dimitroglou Y, Mavroudis A, Tsioufis K.Fluid and salt balance and the role of nutrition in heart failure.Nutrients.2022;14(7):1386. doi:10.3390/nu14071386Penn Medicine.5 Tips for exercise with heart failure.American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart failure.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure treatment.UCLA Health.Sleep disorders. Heart disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Five ways to sleep well and protect your heart.Grubb AF, Green SJ, Fudim M, Dewald T, Mentz RJ.Drugs of abuse and heart failure.J Card Fail. 2021;27(11):1260-1275. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2021.05.023
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is heart failure?
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart failure.
Mount Sinai.Types of heart failure.
Mount Sinai.Heart failure – medicines.
British Heart Foundation.Heart matters.
University of Maryland Medical System.Staying hydrated when you have heart failure.
American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.
Chrysohoou C, Mantzouranis E, Dimitroglou Y, Mavroudis A, Tsioufis K.Fluid and salt balance and the role of nutrition in heart failure.Nutrients.2022;14(7):1386. doi:10.3390/nu14071386
Penn Medicine.5 Tips for exercise with heart failure.
American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart failure.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure treatment.
UCLA Health.Sleep disorders. Heart disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Five ways to sleep well and protect your heart.
Grubb AF, Green SJ, Fudim M, Dewald T, Mentz RJ.Drugs of abuse and heart failure.J Card Fail. 2021;27(11):1260-1275. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2021.05.023
National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Heart failure – home monitoring.
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