”When people with heart failure go for a walk or climb stairs and realise that they are getting out of breath, they often have the feeling that their heart cannot cope. As a result, they avoid exercise,” explains Heike Spaderna, Professor for Health Psychology at Trier University. “But even healthy people can get out of breath when climbing stairs. It is important to explain to patients that not all symptoms of fatigue are due to heart disease.”

Virtual reality or exercise-app

For their study, which was recently published in renowned scientific journal PLOS One, the researchers in Nursing Science from Trier surveyed 185 patients with heart failure from various clinics in Germany. They were able to show that fear of exercise is associated with heart failure and that avoidance of physical activity is not due to a fundamentally greater tendency towards anxiety among patients.

The authors of the study conducted foundational research in this area. “Now that a connection has been established, the next step is to consider how we can take away patients‘ fear of exercise,” says Spaderna. The Professor from Trier has had good experiences with virtual reality to mobilise people. Exercises could be designed in a playful way. A special exercise-app would also be conceivable.

No standard practice

“One problem is that it is not standard practice to discuss with heart failure patients how they can integrate exercise into their everyday lives despite their condition. Only some have an exercise plan or physiotherapy,” explains Spaderna. With their research, the health psychologists would also like to provide medical professionals with the knowledge to address patients' fear of exercise. This could give people with heart failure a better quality of life and, ideally, increase their lifespan.