How healthy is your heart? A simple stress test may be in order.
Here’s how it works
When your doctor recommends something like a stress test, it’s all too easy for a whole bunch of butterflies to show up in your stomach. But this simple procedure can help protect you from the number one killer in America: heart disease.
What it tells your doctor
Your heart works harder and pumps more blood when you’re exercising, so being in this active state during the test can help your doctor figure out how freely blood is flowing through your arteries. An exercise stress test may cause your body to show symptoms of coronary heart disease that aren’t there when you’re at rest.
Getting ready
This is the easy part. Since you’ll be walking and possibly jogging on a treadmill, dress as you would for a stroll around the neighborhood. Think comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and your favorite tennis shoes. Avoid eating for about four hours beforehand. Food might make you feel sick during the test or potentially interfere with the process of monitoring your heart.
What to expect
You’re going to be walking on a treadmill or riding an exercise bike, but first, a blood pressure cuff will go on your arm and some patches on your skin. The patches attach to an electrocardiagram machine with wires to track your heart’s activity. Next you’ll start walking on the treadmill, and the speed and incline will increase about every three minutes. At some point, you might breathe into a tube or mouth piece. You also may be monitored for several minutes after you stop walking.
How long it lasts
Don’t worry, this isn’t a marathon. The time you spend on the treadmill depends on everything from your fitness level to how you respond to the test. In general, you might expect the test to last 10 or 15 minutes.
What if I can’t exercise?
For patients unable to walk on the treadmill, doctors may use medicine to stress the heart instead of exercise.
Risks and concerns
In general, a stress test is considered low risk, and you’re carefully monitored throughout the process. “If anything were to arise, it would be better to happen in a monitored setting than a grocery store,” says Joseph Navarijo, M.D., a cardiologist who assists in directing the non-invasive cardiology lab at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, affiliated with the Texas Heart Institute, both in Houston.
The results
A stress test provides immediate results, so you may find out something sooner rather than later. It all depends on the procedures where the test is administered and your doctor’s availability. “What we’re hopefully going to tell them is that the test detects no lack of blood flow to the heart,” Navarijo says.
What is your heart attack risk? Use our Heart Attack Risk Tool.
