Traveling can be stressful and draining. Long plane rides, lack of quality sleep and lack of nutritious food all can cause harm to your body, including your heart. Here are some ways you can maintain your heart health on your next trip!
Monitor Your Diet
Traveling comes with eating foods that you might not eat regularly. It is important to make sure you are consuming balanced and nutritious meals.
You want to stay away from oily or fried foods that might cause problems for your heart health. Fruits and vegetables are highly recommended and are the safest options. You also want to limit or avoid alcohol consumption while traveling.
Sometimes the snacks available on planes or in hotels are not the healthiest or do not fit your dietary requirements, so packing your own snacks is a good idea in these cases.
Move Around
Long plane rides can be uncomfortable and tiring. Sitting in one spot for a long period of time can cause problems with your blood flow.
To encourage blood flow throughout your body and avoid blood clots, it is recommended to move around. When safe, get up and stretch to allow your body’s blood flow to regulate. To further promote blood circulation in the body, compression stocking or pants are also recommended.
Have Your Necessities Near
In case of any emergency where you might need your medication, it is important to always keep your toiletry or medicine bag near you. Remove your necessities from your overhead luggage and have them near you. This ensures you are prepared and ready if medical problems occur.
Speak to Your Provider
If you have heart disease or any heart complications, it is important that you talk to your provider before traveling to ensure you are stable and prepared. Taking this step will allow you to have any resources you may need, including medications, prescriptions or recommendations for heart care providers in your area of travel. Your provider may advise against traveling, so make sure you speak to your provider at least one month before the trip.
For questions regarding heart health, contact UofL Health – Heart Hospital at 502-587-4000. You can also click here to see all locations where UofL Health provides cardiology services to find a cardiologist near you.
