Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Lifestyle and home remedies

By Mayo Clinic staff

Many arrhythmias can be blamed on underlying heart disease, so your doctor may suggest that, in addition to other treatments, you make lifestyle changes that will keep your heart as healthy as possible. Making healthy lifestyle changes can also help prevent heart arrhythmias from developing in the first place.

These lifestyle changes may include:

  • Eat heart-healthy foods.
  • Increase your physical activity.
  • Quit smoking.
  • Cut back on caffeine and alcohol.
  • Find ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
  • Avoid stimulant medications, such as medications found in over-the-counter treatments for colds and nasal congestion.
References
  1. The heart's electrical system: Working and not. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=34. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  2. Heart rhythm disorders. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrsonline.org/PatientInfo/HeartRhythmDisorders/index.cfm. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  3. Long QT syndrome. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/qt/qt_all.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  4. Atrial flutter. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrsonline.org/patientinfo/heartrhythmdisorders/aflutter/. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  5. Sick sinus syndrome. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrsonline.org/patientinfo/heartrhythmdisorders/sss. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  6. Mehra R, et al. Association of nocturnal arrhythmias with sleep-disordered breathing: The Sleep Heart Health Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2006;173:910.
  7. Diagnosing arrhythmias. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  8. Arrhythmia medications. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=18. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
  9. Ablation. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=6. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
  10. Maze procedure. University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. http://www.cts.usc.edu/mazeprocedure.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  11. Pacemaker. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pace/pace_all.html. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
  12. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/icd/icd_all.html. Accessed Dec. 2, 2010.
  13. Connolly S, et al. Dabigatran versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;361:1139.
  14. Wann LS, et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused update on the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (updating the 2006 guideline): A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2010;123:104.
DS00290 Feb. 11, 2011

© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger