Beware of Heart Attacks While Exercising

Regular exercise provides many benefits for body health. These include burning fat, improving the body's metabolism, improving physical and mental health and reducing stress. Apart from that, exercise can also regulate cholesterol levels and prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Maybe you have read some news that someone had a heart attack while doing sports such as running, badminton, futsal and others. Or there are friends, relatives, even family who have experienced incidents like this. Why can a heart attack occur while exercising? Is exercising like that not good for heart health?

It's not the type of sport that is to blame, but what we should be careful of so that we don't experience this incident. To avoid incidents during exercise, it is necessary to check your health condition before carrying out quite heavy sports activities. Because when you exercise, your heart will work harder to meet the increased energy needs. If the body's condition is unable to accept heavier loads, events such as a heart attack can occur.

Heart Attack Symptoms

Some signs of a heart attack that you need to be aware of when exercising, namely:

1. Chest pain

Chest pain is the most common complaint felt when exercising. The chest feels like it is being pressed in the middle or left/right. Initially, the pain can be mild and gets stronger over time. Apart from that, pain can also come and go during exercise.

2. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Shortness of breath is one of the signs that can accompany a heart attack.

3. Heart pounding

Heart palpitations can occur, especially if the heart rhythm is irregular. Irregular heart rhythms can cause the heart to pump blood inefficiently so that blood circulation is disrupted.

4.Cold sweat or nausea

Cold sweat or nausea can be an early sign of a heart attack. If this condition occurs while exercising, immediately stop sports activities and consult a doctor. These symptoms can be warning signs that the heart is starting to experience problems.

Apart from being aware of heart attacks while exercising, you also need to know your history of diseases which are risk factors for heart disease, including:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
• High cholesterol
• Smoke
• Family history of heart disease
• Excessive body weight (obesity)

Preventing Heart Attacks

There are several things you need to pay attention to when exercising in an effort to prevent heart attacks, including the following:

• If you haven't exercised for a long time, you need to check your body's fitness condition before starting to exercise again. This is especially recommended if you have the risk factors for heart disease mentioned above.
• Ensure your body is in good health when exercising
• Don't exercise excessively and make sure the duration of exercise is appropriate to your abilities. It is better to start with a moderate duration and then increase slowly.
• Choose sports according to your body's abilities. If you have a history of heart disease, you should choose exercise that is safe for your heart.
• Follow the exercise rules properly. Warming and cooling need to be considered to avoid muscle injury and breathing remains normal.
• Pay attention to fluid balance. When exercising, you need to pay attention to fluid requirements to avoid dehydration.
• If you feel symptoms like those above, don't delay consulting your doctor either online via telemedicine or visiting an existing health facility.