- By Prerna Targhotra
- Fri, 03 Jan 2025 05:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Winters And Heart Attacks: Now that we are in the middle of winter, the weather can impact our heart health. Studies have shown that people are 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack during the cold winter months. Extreme weather conditions increase the risk of health hazards, especially for the cardiovascular system. Physical activity gets reduced and eating habits can change and we start eating a lot of salty and sugary foods.
They cause vasospasm of arteries by which blood flow to that organ is reduced, also platelet reactivity gets increased which leads to abnormal clotting which again hampers the blood flow. In winter BP gets elevated and if unchecked it can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
In a conversation with Jagran English, Dr. Vivek Tandon, Additional Director Cardiology, Fortis Greater Noida explained that in the winter, the vessels, particularly the arteries, constrict, and that increases your blood pressure but also really diminishes the blood supply to your heart muscle, and when it's cold, the heart has to work harder to keep a healthy temperature.
In the cold, the tubes of the heart and the tubes of the whole body go into constriction to conserve temperature, some adrenaline is also released and from it, all the tubes of the heart and the tubes of the whole body go and what happens by shrinking. We have high blood pressure and the chances of stroke and heart attack increase a lot, so we want to keep the body warm so that there is no constriction and blood pressure does not increase.
Who's at most at risk?
It's mostly patients with underlying heart disease, particularly patients with narrowing of the coronary arteries which is known as coronary artery disease, so these patients are at a higher risk. We definitely should continue a heart-healthy lifestyle in winter so that's a heart-healthy diet that's to maintain a heart-healthy weight and regular exercise but avoid strenuous exercise in the cold like running that can lead to a heart attack. Running is a strenuous exercise and the heart has the demand of working harder and having higher blood pressure and it's the perfect storm for a heart attack. Physical activities like yoga and walking are great for keeping your heart healthy.
Warning Signs to look for
The most common signs for heart attacks or chest pressure or just chest pain. However, women particularly tend to present with really more vague symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting or just fatigue, which is just in general just not feeling well. You must look out for those signs.
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