One of the most important and perhaps the simplest measure to prevent congestive heart failure is to drink plenty of water. You must drink at least 7 to 8 liters of water daily. The thickening of the blood is prevented by drinking water, thus reducing the risk of congestive heart failure. Not only this, drinking sufficient amount of water also protects us from number of other ailments. For instance, it avoids thick mucus from accumulating in the lungs which can lead to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. It also flushes out all the waste material out of your body.

Congestive heart failure can be prevented by avoiding food items which have a high calorie and salt content. These type of food products increase the workload of lungs and lead to build up of fat in the arteries. You must even avoid canned vegetables and soups, processed foods and sweet pastries. Consult a dietician or nutritionist, these professionals can help you design a diet plan as per your requirements.

You are at an increased risk of developing congestive heart failure if you are in the habit of smoking. The tobacco smoke from cigarettes is injurious for heart and lungs. However, quitting smoking is not sufficient; you even have to avoid second hand smoke because even passive smoking increases the risk factor for congestive heart failure.

Exercising regularly strengthens your heart as well as other internal organs such as lungs. This makes your cardiovascular system much more efficient. Try to include cardiovascular and strength training exercise into your routine. Aerobics and similar activities are also very effective. All you need to do is workout for 30 minutes daily and the risk factor will decrease considerably.

High level of stress increases the risk of congestive heart failure as your heart has to work harder to accomplish average blood flow through the body in such situations. Have a look at areas of your life where you feel overwhelmed and try to reduce stress. There are a number of methods which can help you in reducing stress. For instance, meditation can help you in relieving stress. Yoga is also very effective in getting rid of stress and anxiety. The time that you spend with your loved ones also helps a lot in decreasing stress levels.

Blood pressure indicates how hard your heart is working to pump blood, hence it can be used to determine the health of the heart. Use the pharmacy kiosks to monitor your blood pressure regularly. High blood pressure can lead to a number of complications related to heart including dilated cardiomyopathy, stroke, heart attack and hypertrophy. You can lower your blood pressure using exercise, stress reduction, dietary improvements or medications.

You need to determine the amount of fluid retention your body is experiencing, this can be done by weighing yourself every two to three days. Congestive heart failure can be caused by high fluid retention as this leads to excessive weight gain. If you observe a weight gain of three pounds or more in one week, then you must certainly consult your doctor.

It is very important that you make yourself aware of the early symptoms of CHF. This way you can immediately call for help as soon as the symptoms are encountered, otherwise, the condition may become worse. Some of the common symptoms associated with congestive heart failure are fatigue, swelling in ankles and legs, difficulty in sleeping, diminishing ability to exercise and an overactive bladder.

Higher cholesterol levels increase the risk of congestive heart failure, so it is very important that your diet should be low in cholesterol. The cholesterol level can also be lowered by exercising regularly. Devise a diet plan that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The same rule applies to blood sugar level. You need to pay special attention to your blood sugar if you are diabetic as people with diabetes are at a greater risk.