Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, happens when your heart muscle fails to pump blood as efficiently as it should. Certain disorders, such as restricted arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, progressively weaken or stiffen your heart, making it unable to fill and pump properly. Other factors such as age, gender, and genetics may also contribute to heart failure. Decreased cardiac function means that the heart is working too hard to pump enough blood through a weak vessel system. This can be caused by a number of different conditions. As less blood is pumped by the heart, more of it has to travel through smaller vessels. These small vessels are prone to collapse during times of stress, like when you exercise. Without adequate blood flow, the muscles begin to waste energy trying to push blood through an area that doesn't receive enough of it. Over time, these changes lead to increased fatigue, lower levels of activity, and poorer quality of life. There are several ways to improve cardiac function. The first step is to find the cause of the problem. This may include testing your blood for markers of heart disease or taking other tests to determine the source of your symptoms. If no serious problems are found, your doctor may suggest medications or other treatments to help prevent further damage to your heart muscle. If you have heart failure, your goal is to give your heart time to recover.