A treadmill stress test is an exercise test usually performed by a medical doctor to see how your heart performs under physical exertion. They help the medical doctor to diagnose heart conditions, such as irregular palpitations, arrhythmia, block plaques, and other diseases or unusual cardiac symptoms. The medical practitioner also uses them to see how well your heart performs under certain conditions, such as exercising for long intervals or high speed. A treadmill stress test is also called a treadmill or exercise stress test. The medical health technicians perform them, but you can perform them at home, keeping the basic key points in mind.
Preparing for a treadmill stress test
Before taking a treadmill stress test, ensure you are in the right mind and have taken precautionary measures. You must also speak to your doctor before the test and act on any advice or recommendation provided.
Here are a few things to do days before to prepare well for your treadmill stress test.
1- If you are over 30 years old, you need to exercise regularly before the test day. Exercise will help you get used to what you will be doing during the test. You will gain rhythm, and your test will be less strenuous on the test day.
2- Drink plenty of water and manage your diet and hygiene. Drinking loads of water will increase blood flow to the brain and heart and purify your blood. A healthy diet will regularise your glucose and blood sugar and keep your cholesterol in check.
3- Try breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation. Breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation will help you achieve a calm state of mind and make you less tired and anxious during your test. Since the test includes physical exertion, breathing exercises will help you calm your mind and get used to an increased heart rate.
The treadmill stress Test
The stress test is performed by a medical technician in the doctor’s office. If you want to do it at home, you need an ECG machine, blood pressure monitor, chest straps, and a computer to monitor your heart rate data.
First, you’re walking through the treadmill with a chest strap attached to your heart and a blood pressure monitor strap on your arm. As you start walking on the treadmill, your speed gradually increases, and the monitor displays your heart rate data and the fluctuations in your blood pressure. The medical doctor closely examines the status of your heart as you begin to run fast. Then the Incline in the treadmill is increased to make the exercise more challenging. As you run with the increased Incline in the treadmill, your heart rate increases, and as soon as you hit your maximum heart rate, the exercise is stopped. The doctor takes the data to examine, and the result is drawn through all the statistics of your cardiac health under different workout modes.
How to pass the Stress test
To pass a treadmill stress test, you must prepare yourself days before the test. It would help if you understood the procedures involved in the test to remove the fear and anxiety. During the test, act on the following points below.
➤ Carefully listen to your practitioner and follow the rules as he explains the test procedure. The practitioner will ask you whether you’re ready for the test, and tell him if you are not, you can reschedule the test.
➤ During the test, slowly walk on the treadmill and follow the technicians’ instructions. Since the process is complicated, make sure you do not have an unusual heart rate before the high-intensity workout mode. This can badly impact the test data and affect the proper diagnosis of your cardiac health based on the statistical data.
➤ If you feel tired or weak during the test, talk to the technician to stop the process. The test can not be carried on with your fatigued state of body, as they can tamper the test results and also carries potential dangers.
➤ If you succeed in carrying out the test, drink some water right after the test, sit down for a while, and take deep breaths, and you will be feeling fine within no time.
Do I need a treadmill stress test?
Anybody can take a treadmill test to understand cardiac health and better care for their heart. You can take the test; whether or not you have any medical condition, the test will help you stay healthy by developing an exercise routine and setting fitness goals. The test can provide insights about your heart, and based on that, you can make necessary changes to your lifestyle and workout routine.
Medical doctors usually recommend a treadmill stress test to assess heart conditions like Coronary Artery disease (CAD), arrhythmia, and heart failure. The test is taken to see the blockage in artery veins and assess whether you need surgery or if the simple medication can cure your disease.
So if you have no heart condition or diseases, you can still take a treadmill stress test to improve your cardiac health, make necessary changes to your lifestyle, and achieve a healthy physical and mental state.
Can you perform the Treadmill Stress test at home?
Carrying the test at home is possible, but it is not recommended. The test uses an ECG machine, a blood pressure monitor, and a computer to display the data. The test can be performed at home with the treadmill test kits, but they will not count as a medical diagnosis since it’ll be unlikely to draw results from the statistics alone. If you do it at home, you’d need professional guidance to carry it. But it is not a good option to carry the test at home; since it involves medical procedures and requires medical literacy to interpret the results; hence it is hard to get accurate results from the test at home.
Benefits of Treadmill Stress Test
The treadmill stress test provides insights into cardiac health and overall heart functions. It provides information on how well your heart performs during strenuous physical activities. If you are carrying out the test, whether recommended by your medical doctor or by your own choice, it is highly beneficial for your health, as it surfaces the details of your cardiac health.
The treadmill stress test has many benefits, including the below
➤ The test can diagnose heart diseases like Coronary artery disease, which is the narrowing of blood veins and blockage. They lead to shortness of breath, irregular heart beating, and chest pain. The treadmill test taken under the guidance of a medical professional can diagnose such diseases and help in symptomatic or full-scale treatment.
➤ The treadmill test can also evaluate the undergoing treatment and its effects on your cardiac health. Your medical professional will analyze your treadmill stress test results and look for any improvement in your cardiac health due to the treatment you are taking. A treadmill stress test calibrates the effectiveness of your medical treatment.
➤ A treadmill stress test can also help you set fitness goals and diet plans based on your cardiac health. If your heart beats faster and you get fatigued sooner, your doctor may recommend a diet plan to improve your cardiac health and, at the same time, decrease the chances of procuring cardiac diseases.
Conclusion
A Treadmill stress test is used to diagnose diseases and assess cardiac health under physical exertion. These tests should be performed under the guidance of your physician, and you should prepare both physically and mentally before the test.
The treadmill stress test can help you understand your cardiac health, make necessary lifestyle changes, and adopt a healthy diet to ensure a healthy body.
The test keeps you on the look for any unusual signs and helps in overall health and wellness assessment.
