In addition, the authors looked at 10 different ways patients with heart rhythm disorders can maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage stress as the pandemic continues:

1. Stay informed.

Getting news from reliable sourcesnot exclusively your distant cousin on Facebook, for examplecan work wonders for a persons mental health.

2. Take breaks from the newsand social mediato avoid fear or anxiety.

3. Know the symptoms of your heart condition and have a plan for contacting a healthcare provider.

If you have new or worsening heart symptoms, your provider may want you to be seen in person, wrote lead author Lindsey Rosman, PhD, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues. Hospitals and clinics are taking extra steps to protect your health during in-person visits, such as scheduling additional time between appointments to limit contact with other patients, requiring masks, and allowing you to stay in your car until they are ready to take you directly to an exam room.

Patients should call 911 immediately if they believe they are having a heart attack or stroke, the authors added.

4. Manage your medications.

In times of stress, it can be easy to forget to take your medications, the team wrote. Write out a medication schedule or use a smartphone app or pillbox.

5. Take care of your body.

This includes getting a good amount of sleep and avoiding drugs and alcohol. Limit caffeine, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

6. Be active at home.

7. Relax and recharge.

8. Focus on the thigs you can control.

Changes to daily routines, fear, uncertainty, and isolation can make your life feel out of control and make it unclear what to do, the team wrote. Take charge of your life by focusing on the things in your life that you can control.

9. Connect with others.

10. One tip specifically for caregivers: Take care of your own health as well.

The full analysis from Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology can be read here.

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10 helpful tips for heart rhythm patients as the COVID-19 pandemic continues - Cardiovascular Business