Lifestyle Changes to Restore Your Energy
Although AFib is a chronic condition that can be dangerous, it’s also manageable, and part of a good symptoms management plan is changing your lifestyle to work with your physical limitations. By modifying your perspective and your approach to certain tasks, you can conserve energy to get through your day more comfortably:
Work in Intervals
Small bursts will help you stretch out your energy stores and keep up your stamina, and that goes for everything from daily chores to exercise. When it comes to exercise (the best natural way to slow down your resting heartrate and decrease your blood pressure), this means alternating a few minutes of hard effort with almost an equal amount of rest, so you can get the aerobic benefit without aggravating your AFib.
As for your daily errands, household tasks, and other routine activities, try to space things out over the course of the late morning and afternoon – when your energy levels are naturally at their highest.
Add Magnesium
AFib patients are frequently found to have low levels of magnesium, which could be a cause for their fatigue. Magnesium is crucial for cellular function, including heart tissue cells, and at least 80% of Americans are deficient in this vital mineral.
If you’ve noticed more frequent AFib attacks, along with irritability, muscle spasms, insomnia and fatigue, get your magnesium levels checked out. You can tweak your diet to allow for more magnesium, but supplements are likely the easiest and quickest way to top up your magnesium levels, and your energy stores.
Check Your Symptom and Treatment Regimen
It’s important to make some lifestyle changes to handle symptoms, but another other option is to go right to the source. If there are triggers or conditions that are bringing on your AFib (which is, in turn, draining your energy), learn how to neutralize those symptoms and effects to stay in control of your heart health and energy levels:
Evaluate Your Morning Routine
When AFib triggers start early in your day, there are more hours ahead for palpitations to begin, and that means a greater risk for fatigue to interrupt your schedule.
Sometimes you can decrease your chances of experiencing an AFib episode simply by cutting out your morning coffee (caffeine is a top trigger for many AFib sufferers), or starting your day off with a focus on stress relief and calming visualization.
Change up Your AFib Treatment
If you’re taking medication to manage your AFib, you may need to consult your doctor to revisit your dosage, or consider other available options. Certain drugs used to control heart rhythm can bring on remarkable fatigue: Tikosyn, Rythmol, Cordarone and Pacerone are good examples.
If medication isn’t working as well as your doctor had hoped, you might consider surgery (like catheter ablation or the surgical maze procedure) to reduce your AFib risks and discomforts.
If your exhaustion is interfering with your comfort and independence, it’s time to talk to your doctor. Fatigue is a broad symptom, and it’s also a marker for a host of conditions and complications, so don’t just ignore it. You have a good deal of control when it comes to your vitality and drive, although it may take some time to find the right formula for a more energetic lifestyle.
