So you have suffered from a heart attack or have been diagnosed with heart disease. You would not be alone – you would be among 3.5 million Britons, but what does this mean for you now personally?  You may have the medication, and made the necessary  adjustments to your lifestyle but how about living the rest of your life? It may be that you have a holiday booked and are now not sure whether you can go on it. Maybe it involved specific activities like horse riding or skiing and now you are not sure whether you can do this activity.

Well the good news is that keeping active is still said to be good for the heart, even after a heart attack. Here are some things that might help you if you are considering going on holiday with heart disease (Thanks to a nurse from the British Heart Foundation speaking in the Daily Mail for some of this information). For more detailed information, you might want to check out the AllClear4you page on travelling with a heart condition, and obviously you will still need to take advice from your medical professional for your specific situation.

 Can I go on holiday? For most heart disease patients, it is said to be better to keep yourself physically active, as this often helps reduce symptoms and the risk of another heart attack. The important thing is to discuss your plans with your medical professional, to ensure that you can travel safely. You could consider going on a holiday somewhere with beautiful scenery where you can enjoy some lovely long low-level walks, for example!

Travelling with a heart condition

 So what precautions should I take?  Discuss any planned trip, and activity on that trip, with a medical professional. If you have recently had a heart attack, or have high blood pressure, you should be assessed by a specialist in cardiac care, who will check for diabetes, blood pressure and weight. It may be necessary to adjust your medication before taking part in any strenuous holiday activity such as skiing or living at altitude.

 What about my medication? Some medications used to control heart disease or angina can affect how the body responds to exercise – for example, beta blockers regulate the heart rate. This means that the heart cannot beat as fast, so an extreme sports activity holiday, may not be advisable

 What kind of activities are best? A cardiac care specialist will be able to suggest specific exercises, which could include low impact activities like yoga or Tai chi – imagine carrying out these activities on a lovely warm beach somewhere! For all heart disease patients, warming up and cooling down before any activity is very important to prepare the heart. You should stop the activity if you have chest pain, palpitations, dizziness or breathlessness. According to Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, walking is one exercise that is suitable for almost everyone – best get booking that low-level picturesque walking holiday!

 Am I covered on my insurance? Just as you would get specialist cover if you were doing winter sports on holiday, you will need to get specialist travel insurance for your heart condition. It is important to make sure that your insurance actually includes your condition, in case you require medical treatment while you are abroad – check out AllClear for more info.

 So what is the key message here then? Well, basically, as long as you make some specialist plans and preparations, in consultation with your medical professional, a holiday could be just the thing you need. In fact, you could consider the type of holiday that your heart might need first…