Ways to optimize your heart health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mariko Harper, M.D.

By Mariko Harper, MD

February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to encouraging you to take control of your cardiovascular health. As the pandemic rages on, and those with poor heart health being at a higher risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19, the need for education around optimizing heart health is at an all-time high.

While most of us are spending more time at home these days, there is no better time to incorporate your cardiovascular health into your “self-care” regimen. Here are five ways you can put your heart health first during COVID-19:

Spend time on becoming in tune with your cardiovascular health

Learning what your cardiovascular numbers are, such as your total cholesterol, bad and good cholesterol (LDL and HDL), blood sugar, body mass index and blood pressure, is crucial for building up your heart health. Once you know how to identify these, you can then figure out how to regularly monitor them, as well as ways to keep them under control.

We know this step can seem difficult, or be a lot to take in. Fortunately, the American Heart Association offers a myriad of resources available on its website to help, such as how to monitor your blood pressure at home, understanding what your blood pressure numbers mean and how to improve your cholesterol. Ramping up your physical activity is another way to keep your cardiovascular numbers in check.

Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine

Regular exercise has proven to have substantial benefits for heart health. Daily movement can potentially lead to lower blood pressure, stable blood sugar regulation and healthier levels of cholesterol.

Incorporating physical activity into your daily routine may be easier than you think. Whether you pick up the habit of taking leisurely strolls around the block, or decide to partake in more vigorous workout activities, any movement is good movement. Regular exercise can also provide a tremendous outlet for stress.

Find outlets to reduce stress

It’s no secret that stress levels play a large role in your overall heart health, and that higher stress levels can even make you more susceptible to heart disease. Though a number of stressors in our lives may be out of our control, especially during the pandemic, forming healthy outlets for stress can help you manage.

Finding new hobbies, or embracing old ones, is a great place to start. Maybe you’ll find that you’re secretly an art aficionado, or a master baker/chef? Or maybe yoga and meditation are more up your alley.

Look out for key signs of heart trouble

While most heart health efforts are focused on prevention, it’s also important to be aware of and look out for signs of heart trouble. Though chest discomfort is the most common symptom of a heart attack, many patients don’t directly experience chest pain, but may experience an intense heaviness or pressure, rather than a sharp, stabbing pain.

Other common symptoms to be aware of include sudden shortness of breath, and aches in your arm, shoulder or jaw. Less common symptoms can include nausea, lightheadedness and breaking out in a cold sweat. If you think you or a loved one is potentially experiencing a heart attack, do not hesitate to call 911.

Don’t shy away from routine or emergent medical care

COVID-19 has brought about an absolutely devastating death toll on its own, but research shows that it is also preventing people from accessing the health care they need. Nationwide since the start of the pandemic in February, there has been an increase in deaths due to ischemic heart disease, which is caused by narrowed arteries not being able to carry enough blood to the heart.

Ignoring or delaying both emergent and routine medical care for your heart can lead to an increase in risk of major cardiovascular complications, as well as an increase in the mortality associated with COVID-19. We have robust safety protocols in place here at Virginia Mason to keep you safe during the pandemic, and highly encourage you to not ignore medical emergencies, or place pause on your routine medical care.

If heart health is something that you’ve not considered much in the past, this information can be a lot to process. Think of improving cardiovascular health as part of your “self-care” routine, and keep in mind that all progress is good progress.

While these optimization tips are a great place to start for getting your heart health back on track, please do not hesitate to bring up any cardiovascular concerns with your primary care provider.

Mariko Harper, MD is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, nuclear cardiology and echocardiography. She practices at Virginia Mason Heart Institute. Dr. Harper specializes in general cardiology, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Virginia Mason has clinics in Edmonds and Lynnwood.