Lifestyle

Many people with heart failure continue to lead active and fulfilling lives as they have learned to take good care of themselves. Taking an active role in the management of your own condition, together with good support, helps to bring your heart failure under control and keep it stable.

Learning to make positive changes to your lifestyle, in areas such as diet, exercise and stopping smoking, will help to improve your symptoms, prevent the progression of your heart failure and improve the quality of your daily life.

Click on any of the links below to learn more about the impact these lifestyle factors may have on your heart failure and to find some safe, practical steps you can take to improve the way you feel and maintain an active lifestyle.

Diet
Exercise
Techniques to conserve energy
Smoking

ESC Guidelines for Heart Failure

What patients need to know

This guide for patients from the European Society of Cardiology aims to provide an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.

In particular, it should help patients to understand the:

  • main types of heart failure
  • medicines used to treat heart failure
  • devices that may be appropriate
  • importance of rehabilitation
  • management by a multidisciplinary team
  • importance of self-care in managing your own condition

Learn more

AN ANIMATED JOURNEY THROUGH HEART FAILURE

A series of 9 simple, captivating animations explaining heart failure and its treatment.

These narrated animations explain how a healthy heart works, what happens to it in heart failure and how various treatments work to improve your health.

PATIENT AND CAREGIVERS VIDEOS

In this section you can watch, listen or read interviews with other people with heart failure and their caregivers.

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

and share your own views and experiences with other patients, families and caregivers.

heartfailurematters.org is a European Society of Cardiology website

The heartfailurematters.org website was developed under the direction of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC is a world leader in the discovery and dissemination of best practices in cardiovascular medicine. Our members and decision-makers are healthcare professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to represent professionals in the field of cardiology in Europe and beyond.

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