By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
(HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The winter holidays are a time of celebrating and sharing precious time with family and friends, but they will also be deadly: More people die of heart attacks on Christmas Day than on every other day of the 12 months.
Experts aren’t certain what’s behind that worrying fact, but they provide some suggestions to assist be certain that you and your family members aren’t amongst them.
“The vacations are a busy, often stressful, time for lots of us. Routines are disrupted; we may are likely to eat and drink more and exercise and loosen up less. We’re getting too little sleep and experiencing an excessive amount of stress,” said Dr. Mitchell Elkind, chief clinical science officer for the American Heart Association (AHA).
“We also will not be listening to our bodies or listening to warning signs, pondering a visit to the doctor can wait until after the brand new 12 months,” he added.
Citing a study published within the AHA’s journal Circulation, the AHA said that after Dec. 25, the second-most heart attack deaths occur on Dec. 26, followed by Jan. 1.
While cold weather restricting blood vessels is one potential cause, one other study, also published in Circulation, found that even in Los Angeles County’s mild climate, about one-third more heart attacks occur in December and January than in June through September. That is true even in Latest Zealand, where the weather is warm at Christmastime, in line with one other study.
“While we don’t know exactly why there are more deadly heart attacks during this time of 12 months, it’s essential to remember that each one of those aspects could be snowballing contributors to increasing the danger for a deadly cardiac event,” Elkind said in an AHA news release.
Among the many ways to remain heart-healthy in the course of the holiday season:
- Have fun carefully, in search of small, healthy food swaps to maintain overindulging in check. Especially watch your salt intake.
- Keep moving with family walks or other fun activities that show you how to proceed to get the really useful 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.
- Reduce the stress from family interactions, strained funds and hectic schedules by making time for self-care.
- Don’t forget to take your medications, and keep filling them in a timely manner so that you don’t run out.
- Know the symptoms of a heart attack, which may vary in men and ladies. Call 911 as soon as you notice the signs.
“Research also shows that the largest increases in these holiday heart attack deaths are amongst individuals who are usually not in a hospital. This highlights the importance of recognizing symptoms and searching for immediate medical care,” Elkind said. “Don’t ignore heart attack warning signs since you don’t wish to spoil the vacations, the results could possibly be much worse.”
It is also essential that folks learn how one can perform hands-only CPR so that they may help once they witness someone having a heart emergency.
“You possibly can be out holiday shopping, having fun with an office party or spending time at a family gathering and witness someone having a heart attack and going into cardiac arrest,” Elkind said. “Starting CPR immediately and calling 911 could possibly be the difference in life or death in those situations. Hands-only CPR is something nearly everyone can learn and do.”
SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Nov. 30, 2022
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