Powerful Physical Therapy

How Can You Improve Your Heart's Ejection Fraction?

10 December 2015 by Clifford Ramos

Your heart is one of the more complex systems in your body and when it is not working properly, then it really diminishes your quality of life. The same goes for your heart's ejection fraction. If this is working at a lower capacity you will feel symptoms such as shortness of breath, edema in your feet, and fatigue.

How Does Your Heart's Ejection Fraction Work?

You probably already know that your heart works by constricting and then relaxing. Each constriction moves blood out of the ventricles. After each relaxation, the ventricles load back up with blood. Each time blood is ejected out of the ventricles when it constricts, this is called the ejection fraction. You doctor will look at the percentage of blood that is ejected out with each constriction to give you your ejection fraction number. This number will tell your doctor how well your heart is working.

What do You do if This Number is Low?

If this number is low, don't worry. There are ways to improve your heart's ejection fraction. Here are some of the ways you can achieve a higher number.

• Make time for rest: It's important to make sure that you are not pushing yourself too hard while your heart is weak. Make sure to schedule breaks for yourself so that you don't get too weak and make your heart work too hard.
• Exercise: Even though rest is important, you still need to have some activity. Your heart is a muscle and you have to exercise muscles to strengthen them. The same goes for your heart. It is important that you start very slow and work your way up. Have a discussion with your doctor about what you can do to exercise safely. 
• Eating properly: Make sure to only eat things that are good for the heart. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious foods out there that are great for your heart. Some of these foods are whole grains, fatty fish, avocados, and dark chocolate.
• Watch your fluid intake: A low ejection fraction prevents fluids from being pumped through and out of your body. This can cause fluids to build up in your lungs, making it even harder for you to breathe. Be aware of shortness of breath, trouble breathing, and swelling in the extremities that indicates fluid is built up. Ask your doctor how much fluid you can safely have per day to avoid this.
• Watch your salt intake: Your kidneys won't be able to filter out excess salt from your body like they normally would. This causes even more fluid accumulation and raises your blood pressure.

As you can see, there are many ways you can help improve your heart's ejection fraction  and you can do this without using medication. If you are proactive in your health and seeking heart disease treatment, then you may quickly find yourself feeling better and raising that number to where it should be.

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