It is estimated that around 200 000 people in Sweden suffer from heart failure. It is of the utmost importance to gain an understanding of heart failure from an overall perspective as the illness affects each individual in many different ways. The purpose of the study was to examine how living with heart failure affects the daily life of the patients. The focus was also laid on how nurses performed their care based on these experiences. The research process was inspired by Goodman’s seven steps. The literature study is based on 14 scientific articles. We have used, as a theoretical frame of reference Carnevalis Daily life Functional health condition – model. The result shows that patients with heart failure experience physical limitations due to fatigue, lack of energy, dyspné and sleep deficiency. The illness also affects nutrition and the psychosocial state of the patients. The result of the study also shows a lack of knowledge amongst some patients with heart failure exists. An important task for nurses was to assess and observe physical and psychosocial factors amongst patients. Relieving symptoms and informing patients about heart failure was also included in nurses´ care.