Heart attacks tend to become more prevalent during the holiday season, skyrocketing after Christmas, according to a recent report from Health.com.
The holidays bring about a plethora of unhealthy activity that makes this time of year a hotbed for heart attacks. Overeating, an abundance of alcohol, and stress from planning, cooking, and traveling are to blame for the rise in heart attacks come Christmas time. And cold weather can raise blood pressure.
Citing a University of California, San Diego and Tufts University study, the New York Post said that heart attacks and deaths from heart-related conditions jump nearly five percent during the holiday period.
“This time of year is notorious for heart attacks, heart failures, and arrhythmias,” Dr. Samin Sharma, director of interventional cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Health.com.
Additionally, the days after Christmas are especially deadly, as health-related deaths, including heart attacks and cardiac failure skyrocket by 33 percent in the four days after Dec. 25, the health website said.
Heart experts and doctors recommend a few tips to minimize risk of heart attacks during the festive season: don’t overeat or over drink, watch your salt intake, and manage your stress.
Also dress warmly before going outside and do not undertake strenuous activities like shoveling snow.
“The holidays are really stressful,” Dr. Elsa Giardina, a cardiologist at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, told the New York Post. “People are going to work and worrying about shopping and wrapping their presents. Depression is common, and it’s been linked to heart attacks.”
If you do encounter chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea, and weakness, don’t hesitate to get medical help.
“If you’re having a heart attack, studies show that you can’t wait longer than 12 hours to be treated,” Sharma told Health.com.
The holidays bring about a plethora of unhealthy activity that makes this time of year a hotbed for heart attacks. Overeating, an abundance of alcohol, and stress from planning, cooking, and traveling are to blame for the rise in heart attacks come Christmas time. And cold weather can raise blood pressure.
Citing a University of California, San Diego and Tufts University study, the New York Post said that heart attacks and deaths from heart-related conditions jump nearly five percent during the holiday period.
“This time of year is notorious for heart attacks, heart failures, and arrhythmias,” Dr. Samin Sharma, director of interventional cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Health.com.
Additionally, the days after Christmas are especially deadly, as health-related deaths, including heart attacks and cardiac failure skyrocket by 33 percent in the four days after Dec. 25, the health website said.
Heart experts and doctors recommend a few tips to minimize risk of heart attacks during the festive season: don’t overeat or over drink, watch your salt intake, and manage your stress.
Also dress warmly before going outside and do not undertake strenuous activities like shoveling snow.
“The holidays are really stressful,” Dr. Elsa Giardina, a cardiologist at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, told the New York Post. “People are going to work and worrying about shopping and wrapping their presents. Depression is common, and it’s been linked to heart attacks.”
If you do encounter chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea, and weakness, don’t hesitate to get medical help.
“If you’re having a heart attack, studies show that you can’t wait longer than 12 hours to be treated,” Sharma told Health.com.
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