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Most people who have stable angina can
control their chest pain by taking medicines as prescribed and nitroglycerin
when needed. Staying active is also important. But if these things don't help
you manage your angina, try these tips:
- If an activity causes angina, slow it
down.
- Ease
into your day. Warm up slowly before activity.
- Give yourself time to rest and digest right
after meals.
- Change the way you eat. Eat smaller meals more often
during the day instead of two or three large meals.
Controlling severe angina
When angina is more severe and you are having a hard time managing it,
you can:
- See if family members or hired help can assist
with heavy chores such as shoveling snow or mowing lawns. If it makes sense to
do so, think about moving to a different home to avoid the physical stress
caused by climbing stairs or doing heavy chores.
- If your job
involves heavy labor, think about changing the kind of work you
do.
- Try taking nitroglycerin before you start a stressful activity
that can cause angina, such as walking uphill or having sex.
- If you are not taking nitroglycerin for chest pain, ask your
doctor if it could help you.
Call your doctor
Tell
your doctor right away if:
- There is a sudden change in your angina
symptoms.
- You begin to get angina at unexpected
times.
- You get angina when you are resting.