Reasons for cardiac arrest during exercise & bull; hello healthy

One way to maintain heart health is to exercise regularly. Even so, you have to be careful because this physical activity can also be a cause of sudden cardiac arrest. What is the reason cardiac arrest during exercise can occur? Come on, find out the answer in the following review.

Why can cardiac arrest occur during exercise?

Exercise is a physical activity that benefits the heart. The reason is, when you exercise, your body needs more oxygen than usual. Therefore, your heart pumps blood faster and you can feel a heartbeat that is faster than normal.

In addition, the body that is actively moving also makes the metabolic process better so that it reduces the accumulation of fat under the surface of the skin and in the arteries of the heart.

Exercise also helps lower blood pressure and this means lowering one of the risk factors for heart disease, namely hypertension (uncontrolled high blood pressure).

Even so, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that cardiac arrest can occur during strenuous exercise in people who have heart problems.

The study, published in the journal Circulation, looked at the incidence of cardiac arrest during exercise. The results, show that cases of cardiac arrest can occur during exercise and approximately 1 hour after exercise, although the incidence is quite rare.

From the study, the types of exercise that most commonly cause cardiac arrest are exercise in the gym, running, cycling, swimming, playing basketball, and dancing.

Most people who experience this heart stop working complain of chest pain, dizziness, feeling unwell or seizures before passing out.

The phenomenon of cardiac arrest (sudden cardiac arrest) is a condition in which the heart suddenly stops pumping blood. Within a few minutes the heart stops beating, the vital organs in the body don't get oxygen-rich blood. As a result, damage to the brain and death can occur.

Reasons for cardiac arrest during exercise

When you exercise, your body will produce the hormone adrenaline. This hormone can stimulate a faster heart rate. If you exercise too hard, this hormone forces the heart to work harder to pump blood.

In people who have heart problems, such as heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), this excessive exercise can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest during exercise can also occur due to dehydration. You need to know that dehydration makes mineral levels, such as potassium and magnesium, very low. In fact, these minerals contain an electric charge that helps the nerves and heart muscle work properly.

When levels of these minerals are very low, the electrical signaling activity in the heart can be disrupted causing arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.

Factors that can increase the risk of cardiac arrest during exercise

Strenuous exercise is not the only cause for a person to experience cardiac arrest. The risk of cardiac arrest during exercise will be even greater, if the person has other factors that cause, including:

• Have had a previous heart attack

When a heart attack occurs, the underlying disease such as atherosclerosis becomes more severe. This can cause scar tissue in the heart which later triggers disruption of electrical activity and causes cardiac arrest.

• There is a history of cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy causes enlargement or thickening of the heart muscle. This abnormal heart muscle condition can lead to arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.

• Born with congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease puts a person at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest, even after undergoing corrective surgery.

• Obesity and adopting an unhealthy lifestyle

Adoption of a bad lifestyle such as smoking with excessive body weight is a factor that can increase the risk of occurrence sudden cardiac arrest.

If you do sports with heavy intensity and have the conditions and risk factors above, the chances of cardiac arrest will be even greater.

Tips to prevent cardiac arrest during exercise

If you want to get the benefits of exercise for the heart without causing problems such as cardiac arrest, you can follow these tips.

1. Make sure you exercise in good health

Exercise is a physical activity that consumes a lot of energy. If at this time your body is healthy, it's a good idea to prioritize resting. Exercising when you are sick makes your body more tired and the benefits you get are not optimal.

The good thing is to balance the exercise with adequate rest so that your body doesn't work too hard while doing the exercise. So, make sure you get enough sleep every day.

2. Start with low intensity exercise

Tempted by the benefits of exercise makes you very enthusiastic about this physical activity. Even so, you shouldn't exercise excessively. Especially if you are a beginner.

The American College of Cardiology recommends doing moderate intensity exercise, which is at least 30 minutes every day of the week. Do this regularly and you can gradually increase the duration of the exercise afterwards.

In addition to the duration of exercise, you may also need to determine the heart rate that should be reached while exercising. You can check it through a heart rate calculator.

3. Select sports according to body conditions

In healthy people, the choice of exercise is very diverse. You can choose from running, swimming, yoga, brisk walking, cycling, or playing sports, such as basketball or badminton.

However, it is different for people who have heart problems. The choice of exercise that is not right can trigger the recurrence of symptoms of heart disease that you have, and even increase the risk of cardiac arrest during exercise.

Types of exercise that are safe for heart disease patients are walking, cycling, swimming, or tai chi. However, if you are still unsure about the choice of type or a safe exercise plan, consult further with the cardiologist who deals with your condition.

In some conditions, heart disease patients may not be allowed to do physical activities such as sports for a while. You may return to this activity, if the doctor has given the green light.

4. Follow the exercise guidelines properly

The next tip so that you avoid cardiac arrest during exercise is to follow the rules of exercise in general. You are required to do warm-up exercises for 5 to 10 minutes before doing sports. Then, afterwards you also need to do cool down exercises of the same duration.

The goal of warm-up and cool-down exercises is to avoid muscle injury as well as to help you prepare your breathing to be faster before exercise and return to normal breathing speed.

Don't forget to take a break in the middle of a workout. As well as preparing healthy snack foods, such as bananas or apples and water.

These foods and drinks can replace lost minerals, fluids, and energy. That way, you avoid dehydration and don't feel weak after exercising.

5. Immediately see a doctor if you experience symptoms

Recognizing the symptoms of cardiac arrest is an important tip for patients who have heart problems. The reason is, cardiac arrest can strike you during or after exercise. By recognizing the symptoms of cardiac arrest, you will get help faster.

Generally, cardiac arrest will make a person suddenly fall, collapsed, fainting, with stopped breathing. However, in some cases, before falling down, there will be warning signs like heart disease in general, namely chest discomfort or pain and shortness of breath.

If you experience any of these signs or see someone experiencing them, call 119 for prompt medical care.

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