Table of contents:
- Fasting provisions for people with heart disease
- A safe guide to fasting for people with heart disease
- 1. Meet nutritional needs during fasting
- 2. Enough water intake
- 3. Don't forget to rest
- 4. Perform routine health checks
Fasting is the duty of every physically and mentally capable Muslim. However, for people with certain health problems such as heart disease (cardiovascular), fasting must be full of consideration; between the benefits and side effects that may occur. So, what are the things that people with heart disease need to pay attention to in order to fast? Come on, see the following guide.
Fasting provisions for people with heart disease
Fasting keeps you from eating and drinking for about 13 hours. In heart disease patients, this can interfere with the daily routine of taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor. In fact, patients are required to take medication regularly to prevent recurrence of heart disease symptoms, such as pain and shortness of breath.
Heart failure patients, for example, if they don't take medication regularly, their condition will get worse. Therefore, patients with cardiovascular disease must first seek approval from the doctor who treats their condition.
The doctor will check the patient's physical condition first. If the doctor gives the green light, people with heart disease are allowed to fast.
Doctors usually allow patients to fast, when the patient's body condition is stable and the dose of the drug can still be taken at dawn and iftar, which is 1 or 2 times a day. Then, what about patients who take the drug 3 times a day?
Studies published on Avicenna Journal of Medicine,mentioned that the doctor will change the drug formulation into one dose. However, this drug adjustment must be ascertained first whether it is safe or not for the patient. Therefore, consultation regarding drug planning is carried out 1 or 2 months before entering the month of Ramadan.
If the replacement of heart disease medication does not cause disturbing symptoms, fasting is safe. Conversely, if the patient experiences shortness of breath, swelling in the legs, or severe body fatigue, you should return to normal heart treatment and fasting is better not to do.
A safe guide to fasting for people with heart disease
Those of you who get the green light from the doctor, need to follow the appropriate fasting recommendations. More specifically, follow the guidelines for safe fasting for the following heart disease patients.
1. Meet nutritional needs during fasting
Even though there is less time to eat during fasting, it does not mean that patients can "respond" to it by eating wildly with arbitrary menu choices.
During sahur and iftar, avoid foods that contain high saturated fat and foods that are not good for the heart. For example, fatty meats, fried and deep fried foods, salted / salted foods, sausages and chicken nuggets, to fast food.
In exchange for meeting their fasting needs, people with heart disease should serve more vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. These heart-healthy foods are rich in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants.
To meet your protein and carbohydrate needs, choose fish, lean meat, oatmeal, brown rice, or sweet potatoes. Apart from adding fiber, these foods also help the body to control blood sugar levels to remain stable. In addition, limit the use of salt by increasing spices in cooking.
2. Enough water intake
Drinking water is important for the heart, especially when fasting. Therefore, people with heart disease must ensure that they drink enough water during fasting to avoid dehydration, as well as help the heart function optimally.
A little drinking water makes body fluids limited in dissolving salts in the blood. The high salt content will make the blood thicker. As a result, the overall blood volume will decrease.
If your blood volume decreases, your heart will then work even harder to make up for the deficiency. This condition can worsen existing heart disease.
Therefore, always make it a habit to drink at least 8 glasses of water even though you are fasting. The simple trick is to follow the 2-4-2 guidelines or 2 glasses at dawn, 4 glasses when breaking the fast (2 glasses after ta'jil and 2 glasses after tarawih), and 2 glasses of water before going to bed.
The exception is heart failure patients who should not drink more than 6 glasses per day. To prevent dehydration during the day, take diuretic medicines at night because urine production becomes more at that time.
3. Don't forget to rest
An important rule for fasting heart sufferers is getting enough rest. Patients have to change their sleep schedule because they have to get up early for dawn. So, it is highly recommended for patients to sleep early.
Although rest is important, it does not mean that all day of fasting makes patients lazy. If the body is in good shape, it is okay to continue activities and sports that are safe for heart disease patients.
However, in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation and fasting, physical activity such as sports may be avoided. This is because these activities are at risk of causing dehydration and low blood sugar levels. Physical activity will be diverted by doing simple stretching movements.
4. Perform routine health checks
It is important to regularly check with your doctor throughout the month of Ramadan to find out the progress of your condition, especially to check your blood pressure and heart rhythm or rhythm. That way, doctors can monitor your health and you can fast safely.
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