How to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest Naturally at Home

Cardiac arrest is a serious medical emergency that can be life-threatening. When the heart stops functioning properly, it can cause a number of serious problems, including:

1. Lack of blood flow to the body: When the heart is not pumping blood effectively, the body's tissues and organs do not receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function properly. This can lead to organ damage and failure.
2. Loss of consciousness: Cardiac arrest can cause a person to lose consciousness quickly. If not treated immediately, this can lead to brain damage or death.
3. Increased risk of death: Cardiac arrest can be fatal if it is not treated promptly. Even if treatment is given, the chances of survival are significantly reduced if the person has experienced cardiac arrest for a longer period of time.

Therefore, it is important to prevent cardiac arrest whenever possible in order to reduce the risk of these serious complications and improve the chances of survival.

Due to inactive lifestyle and heart diseases, excess fat and cholesterol (called plaque) builds up in the arteries. This condition is termed as atherosclerosis. With time, the plaque may burst. Thus, causing a cardiac arrest. Hence, one of the major points for cardiac arrest prevention is the prevention of cholesterol in the body. This could be achieved with an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. Apart from that, consider these things for cardiac arrest prevention:

Lifestyle Changes 

1. Quit smoking: Smoking increases the chances of cardiac arrest by 2 to 4 times. The chemicals present in a cigarette may form a blood clot and cause a heart attack. Hence, it is strongly suggested to quit the habit for cardiac arrest prevention. 
2. Regular exercise: Regular physical activity helps you burn those extra fats and cholesterol. They train your heart to be strong and enduring as well. Engage in light exercises like yoga, cardio, jogging for cardiac arrest prevention. 
3. Limit the consumption of alcohol: Consuming excessive alcohol results in high blood pressure. Again, blood pressure results in strains on the heart. Therefore, stop alcohol for cardiac arrest prevention. 
4. Manage chronic conditions: If someone has a chronic condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, it is highly suggested to follow the treatment plan and take the prescribed medications for cardiac arrest prevention. 
5. Take proper sleep: Improper sleep leads to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, take a proper sleep of around 7 to 8 hours for cardiac arrest prevention.

Healthy Balanced Diet

A healthy balanced diet is helpful in cardiac arrest prevention: 

1. Focus on whole grains, nuts, vegetables, legumes, fish, and extra virgin olive oil and fruits. 
2. Along with it, adequate quantities of eggs, poultry, and low fat dairy products should also be included.  
3. Limit/ prohibit sugar, red meat, processed foods, and refined carbs.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

CPR is one of the most famous techniques for cardiac arrest prevention. CPR is an emergency method through which a patient may survive during a cardiac arrest. In CPR, chest compressions and mouth to mouth breathing is provided to the cardiac arrest victim. This can help the cardiac arrest patient stay alive until the ambulance arrives. Knowing CPR can save one’s life during a cardiac arrest. 

There are 3 steps in CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation ). These are as follows:

1. Compression
2. Airway
3. Breathing

The most crucial step in CPR is compression. Compression helps to restore the blood flow of the patient. 

Here’s how one can perform compression:

1. Make the patient lie on his back.
2. Sit down next to the patient’s shoulder and neck.
3. Place the heel of one hand over the center of the patient’s chest.
4. Place the next hand on the first one. Ensure the elbows are straight and the shoulders are located directly above the hands.
5. Now compress the patient’s chest up to 5 cm (2 inches). But remember that the compression must not go beyond 6 cm (2.4 inches).
6. Use the entire body weight for giving compression. 
7. Perform 100 to 120 compressions per minute.

If the person providing CPR is trained, he/ she can also perform the next two steps of CPR, i.e. opening the airway and mouth-to-mouth breathing. 

Note: Do CPR only if the patient has no heart beat and is not breathing.

Following these cardiac arrest prevention steps reduce the risks of experiencing cardiac arrest. However, it is important to note that cardiac arrest can occur suddenly and without any warnings. The disease can be seen even in people, otherwise seen as healthy. Therefore, regular checkups are highly recommended. 

It is advised to treat heart diseases at the earliest for cardiac arrest prevention. Here are some heart diseases one should seek treatment for: 

1. Coronary heart disease: It is a disease in which the heart doesn’t receive oxygen-rich blood due to blockage in the coronary artery (artery supplying blood to the heart). 
2. Congenital heart disease: It is a defect present from the birth of an individual. One of the main congenital heart diseases is the defect in the structure of the heart. 
3. Cardiomyopathy: It is a disorder in which it becomes difficult for the heart to pump blood to the body.

If one feels the symptoms of a cardiac arrest, such as heart beating at a very high pace or fatigue, they should seek urgent medical care. 

In addition, people who have cardiovascular diseases must talk to a heart specialist to learn how to prevent cardiac arrest. 

In today’s stressful life, knowing how to prevent cardiac arrest is essential. For cardiac arrest prevention, never ignore the symptoms of a cardiac arrest. For instance, fast heart rate, fatigue, unconsciousness, etc. Moreover, it is a must to talk to your doctor if you have any heart-related disease. This may help prevent cardiac arrest. However, sometimes the cardiac arrest comes without any pre-warning. Hence, undergoing heart screening tests once a year is highly recommended.

If you or your loved ones experience any symptoms of a cardiac arrest, talk to a heart specialist at the earliest. You can also talk to our expert team of doctors at HexaHealth. The consultation call is absolutely FREE. Register NOW.