Come gestire lo stress quando si vive con la cardiomiopatia

Perché la gestione dello stress è importante quando si ha la cardiomiopatia

Cardiomiopatia is a general term for diseases of the heart muscle. The walls of the heart chambers may have become stretched, thickened or stiff, impacting the heart's ability to pump blood around the body. Although some cardiomyopathies are ereditato, there are many causes, including damage from a attacco di cuore, ritmi cardiaci anormali, drinking too much alcol, malattia delle valvole cardiache e ipertensione.

Although not everyone will experience symptoms or symptoms may be mild, living with cardiomyopathy can still cause lo stress. It's normal to feel worried about your health and treatments, or anxious about the impact on your work, relationships or lifestyle. However, lo stress cronico can have a serious impact on your health - so it's important to take care of your mind as well as your body.

"It's important that anyone with a heart or circulatory condition manages their stress levels," says Julie Ward, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation. "Being stressato can make you more likely to make choices that are bad for your health, such as eating unhealthy food, smoking or drinking too much alcohol."

In some cases, long-term or chronic stress can increase the risk of problems such as ipertensione, ritmi cardiaci anormali and mental health issues such as ansia e umore basso.

Chronic and sudden stress can also cause a certain type of cardiomyopathy called sindrome di takotsubo. Una forma improvvisa e acuta di insufficienza cardiaca, è anche conosciuta come sindrome del cuore spezzato, cardiomiopatia da stress acuto e ballooning apicale.

In almost 3 in 4 cases, it occurs when a person experiences sudden acute lo stress. The heart muscle becomes suddenly weakened, causing one of the heart's main chambers to change shape. It may be caused by a surge of hormones, particularly adrenaline, during a period of stress and is more common in women. The main symptoms are chest pain, mancanza di respiro and dizziness, similar to those of a attacco di cuore.

"Takotsubo syndrome is a specific type of cardiomiopatia that is not inherited and usually occurs in people who have experienced physically or emotionally stressful events, such as a bereavement," says Ward.

"Tuttavia, non c'è un fattore scatenante identificabile in circa il 30% dei casi. Stiamo ancora imparando sulla condizione e non comprendiamo ancora pienamente cosa causa la sindrome di takotsubo e perché alcune persone reagiscono in questo modo agli eventi stressanti mentre altre no."

Esistono trattamenti efficaci per la cardiomiopatia da stress, aggiunge Ward. "Sebbene la maggior parte delle persone inizi un processo spontaneo di recupero, per alcuni può richiedere più tempo affinché il muscolo cardiaco migliori," dice.

There are several ways to reduce your lo stress levels if you are finding things difficult.

Prenditi una pausa

"Working on lowering stress through meditazione or taking time out when you need it is one of the ways to help to lower the symptoms of cardiomyopathy and reduce further heart failure," says Ward.

Quando sei stressato, può essere allettante continuare a spingere avanti. Tuttavia, questo può spesso peggiorare lo stress e farti sentire peggio per più tempo. Se puoi, prenditi del tempo per te stesso o prenota un po' di tempo libero dal lavoro per concentrarti sul rilassamento. Non è sempre facile prendersi del tempo libero, ma sentirai i benefici a lungo termine.

Attività come la meditazione e la respirazione profonda possono anche fornire un sollievo temporaneo dallo stress.

Mangia bene e mantieniti attivo

"Many people with cardiomyopathy can continue to lead a full and attiva, but it is important to manage this properly by reducing your alcol intake, lowering colesterolo by eating less saturated fat and trying to get regular opzioni di esercizio," dice Ward.

Even though you might think a drink can help you relax, regularly drinking can actually increase feelings of stress, ansia and low mood. Ricerca suggests alcohol can alter the balance of hormones in the body and change the way the body perceives and responds to stress. It can also disrupt our sonno, rendendo lo stress più difficile da gestire.

Exercise is known to be a good stress-reliever, but this doesn't have to mean hitting the gym for an intense workout. A breve passeggiata or an online yoga video are good ways to clear your mind for a few minutes.

Parla con le persone

Sostegno tra pari is an excellent way to keep your stress levels at bay. The charity Cardiomyopathy UK runs online support groups which give people the chance to meet other people who may have similar experiences.

These groups enable people to talk about their worries or concerns in a supportive and friendly environment. If stress is affecting your life, your doctor may be able to offer you advice and guidance. You can also autosegnalarti for talking terapia on the NHS.