If you have surgery coming up, you may be feeling nervous or scared. This is perfectly normal, especially if it’s your first major surgery and you don’t know what to expect. Be sure to do the proper research and ask your surgeon any questions you may have so that you can feel more comfortable going into it. 

That being said, there are things you can do to keep your body healthy in the days, weeks, and months leading up to surgery so that your recovery goes as smoothly as possible. Here are 3 health tips to help you prepare for surgery. 

Prepare Yourself Mentally

If you’re mentally prepared for your surgery, your body will be able to relax and you’ll have a much easier time. In order to do this you’ll most likely need to take care of some things beforehand. For example, unless you’re retired, unemployed or living in an assisted living facility, you’ll need to take time off work not just for the surgery itself but for the recovery as well. Ask your surgeon when they think you’ll be able to go back to work and then follow their advice based on how much time you should take off.

You’ll also want to pick up anything you may need from the store prior to going under the knife. This way you won’t need to stress out about anything in the days following surgery when you may be unable to move around. 

Once you have all of these things taken care of, you can focus on getting enough sleep and taking care of yourself mentally so that not only your body but also your mind will be in the best possible shape for your surgery. 

Quit Smoking And Drinking Alcohol

If you’re a smoker, drinker, or both, one of the best things you can do for your body before a major surgery is to abstain from doing those things. Both nicotine and alcohol will affect the healing process in negative ways and can also cause your body to bleed more than it should. Your surgeon should give you some guidelines prior to your surgery regarding how long before your surgery you should stop smoking, drinking, ingesting caffeine, or taking certain medications. 

They may ask you to stop doing these things 1-2 weeks before your surgery, or it could be even longer than that – so just make sure you’re prepared to follow whatever instructions your individual surgeon gives you so that you may have the best possible results and recovery. 

Exercise 

As long as you’re physically able and have been cleared by your doctor, you should exercise and engage in physical activity as much as possible before your surgery. Afterward, you won’t be able to work out for a while until you’re cleared by your surgeon to do so. That being said, being in good shape leading up to the surgery will be a good thing. 

If you’re preparing for an upcoming surgery and want to make sure you’re in your best health, hopefully these tips can help!