Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Self-Care Tips

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), it might feel like there’s a lot that’s out of your control, especially once you learn that there’s often a genetic component.

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While you can’t change your diagnosis, you can make taking care of yourself a top priority.

Cardiologist Milind Desai, MD, shares self-care tips that can help you live well with HCM.

How to manage HCM

Self-care for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy generally falls into two camps:

Lifestyle changes: These are things you do in your daily life that help your heart work at its best. Certain changes can also help limit HCM symptoms, like chest discomfort, dizziness or shortness of breath.
Medical management: When you’re living with HCM, you need a healthcare team’s direct guidance. Your team will prescribe any needed medications and let you know when to come in for exams or testing.

Lifestyle changes

You don’t have to wait until New Year’s to make resolutions for your health. In fact, when you have HCM, there’s no better time than now to start.

There’s a lot you can do to feel better and minimize the condition’s impact on your life. Dr. Desai offers these tips.

Stay hydrated

Dehydration makes your heart work harder. That’s never good for anyone — but it can be especially dangerous when you have HCM. It can lead to a drop in blood pressure and bring symptoms like dizziness or fainting.

“Staying hydrated is one of the most important ways to take care of yourself,” Dr. Desai emphasizes. “This is especially important if you’re in warmer weather or moving around a lot.”

Because everyone’s fluid intake needs are a little different, talk to your healthcare provider to learn what’s right for you. It may help to use the same cup or bottle every day, and keep refilling it, so you can easily measure how much water you’re taking in.

Do moderate-intensity exercise

Exercise is good for your heart, and an HCM diagnosis doesn’t change that fact. But the key is to follow your care team’s guidance and only do the types of exercise they advise.

“I speak with so many people who are terrified of exercise,” Dr. Desai shares. “They have a history of sudden cardiac death in their family, or they’ve just been diagnosed with HCM and don’t know what to expect.”

These fears are understandable. But they shouldn’t hold you back from working out in ways that benefit your health. Dr. Desai gives these general tips for exercising with HCM:

Do light or moderate aerobics. This might include walking, cycling or swimming. The key is to avoid overexertion. “You should always talk with your cardiologist first to see what’s safe for you and how to gauge your limits,” Dr. Desai stresses.
Do light muscle toning. It’s usually OK to lift light (five or 10-pound) dumbbells. Such toning is important for your muscle and bone health. Your doctor can advise on the amount of weight that’s safe for you.
Avoid intense exercise. “I caution against exercises where you have to bear down and hold your breath,” Dr. Desai notes. That might include heavy weightlifting or isometrics, where you hold the same position for a while (like wall sits or planks).

Avoid alcohol

Alcohol doesn’t mix well with HCM for a few reasons:

It acts as a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration.
It can worsen any obstruction in your heart, making it harder for blood to flow out to your body.
It’s a trigger for arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Desai’s advice? “Don’t add fuel to the fire. Limit or completely avoid alcohol.”

Eat smaller meals

“Avoid big, heavy meals,” Dr. Desai advises. “Several smaller meals, spaced throughout the day, are a safer option when you have HCM.”

That’s because after a big meal, more blood has to go to your digestive organs to help them process everything. This translates to increased workload on your heart and a drop in blood pressure that can lead to dizziness, fainting and other symptoms.

Limit your time in extreme temperatures

When it comes to hot or cold weather — both of which can make your heart beat faster — it’s all about moderation. You don’t have to cancel your beach vacation or kiss the winter cabin plans goodbye. But you do need to be mindful about how much time you spend in temps that are really hot or really cold.

“I advise people to avoid or limit environmental extremes,” Dr. Desai explains. “A few minutes in those conditions might be totally fine. But you need to know your body. If you start feeling symptoms, it’s time to call it quits.”

That might mean adapting plans so you’re on the beach in the early morning hours rather than in the afternoon. Or staying by the fire while your family’s hitting the ski slopes. A bit of planning — and talking to your doctor first — can go a long way.

Take care of your mental health

Like any chronic condition, HCM can take a toll on your mental health. You might find yourself afraid to exercise or worried about the future. All the unknowns can start to pile on and weigh you down.

If you’re feeling like it’s all just too much, Dr. Desai has some advice:

Ask questions. “It’s common — and understandable — to fear the unknown,” he acknowledges. “Your doctor can give you accurate answers to the questions swirling in your mind. You don’t have to ruminate and wonder.”
See a counselor. Talking through any fears or anxieties with a mental health professional can do wonders for how you feel day to day.
Connect with a support group. While your care team can give you clinical insight, you might also benefit from talking with folks who are in your shoes. Such support can offer validation and a sense of community.

Medical management

Self-care isn’t a solo venture. It requires close collaboration with your care team. Medical management starts with finding an expert team of healthcare providers. Once you have the right folks in your corner, it’s a whole lot easier to navigate life with HCM.

Seek care at an experienced HCM center

Not all hospitals routinely treat HCM. But you deserve to go to one that does.

“Seek out the right center and the right provider,” Dr. Desai emphasizes. “You need an experienced team when you’re living with HCM. They can offer the latest testing, treatments and insight on your condition.”

Don’t live close to an HCM center? That’s OK. Such centers are prepared to work with your local healthcare provider to co-manage your care. This means you’ll have an even bigger team looking out for you.

“You’ll visit an HCM center for a consultation, and providers there will develop a game plan,” he explains. “Your local provider will handle your day-to-day care, but you’ll come back to the center periodically or any time you need a procedure.”

Those follow-up visits are crucial. Your HCM care team needs to see you regularly so they can keep a close eye on your heart. They’ll let you know how often to come back and the purpose of each visit.

Manage risk factors

When it comes to HCM self-care, it helps to zoom out and see the bigger picture of heart disease.

“HCM is one type of heart problem, and it can be a lot to handle,” Dr. Desai says. “But if you have HCM, you could still end up with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or coronary artery disease.”

Your care team will work with you to identify and manage traditional heart disease risk factors through lifestyle changes and/or medications.

Take your prescribed medications

Living with HCM means knowing when and how to take your medications — and exactly what each one does for you. Follow your care team’s guidance. Some meds manage risk factors, while others target the root problem.

“In the past, there weren’t any drugs that could directly treat HCM,” Dr. Desai explains. “But today, we’ve developed precision drugs specifically for the obstructive form of HCM. They’re backed by robust clinical trial evidence.”

These medicines, called myosin inhibitors, are game changers. “They can reduce the obstruction in your heart,” he adds. “This means you have fewer symptoms and an improved quality of life. You may even be able to avoid having heart surgery.”

Such medications aren’t yet available for the nonobstructive form of HCM. But science is moving quickly, and Dr. Desai says safe and effective medications may be on the horizon.

Key takeaways

When you’re living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, make self-care a top priority. You can manage your condition through daily habit changes and support from your healthcare team. You’re not alone or powerless in this journey.

Dr. Desai closes with a healthy dose of optimism: “Today, we’re doing so much research and achieving so many advancements in care. It’s truly a very good time to be living with HCM.”