Winter Holidays Are High Time for Heart Attacks: 5 Tips for Protecting Yourself

The winter holidays are a time of celebrating and sharing precious time with family and friends, but they can also be deadly: More people die of heart attacks on Christmas Day than on any other day of the year.

Experts aren’t certain what’s behind that troubling fact, but they offer some suggestions to help ensure that you and your loved ones aren’t among them.

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Disrupted routines

“The holidays are a busy, often stressful, time for many of us. Routines are disrupted; we may tend to eat and drink more and exercise and relax less. We’re getting too little sleep and experiencing too much stress,” says Dr. Mitchell Elkind, chief clinical science officer for the American Heart Association (AHA).

“We also may not be listening to our bodies or paying attention to warning signs, thinking a trip to the doctor can wait until after the new year,” he adds.

Citing a study published in the AHA’s journal Circulation, the AHA said that after Dec. 25, the second-most heart attack deaths happen on Dec. 26, followed by Jan. 1.

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While cold weather restricting blood vessels is one potential cause, another study, also published in Circulation, found that even in Los Angeles County’s mild climate, about one-third more heart attacks happen in December and January than in June through September. This is true even in New Zealand, where the weather is warm at Christmastime, according to another study.

“While we don’t know exactly why there are more deadly heart attacks during this time of year, it’s important to be aware that all of these factors can be snowballing contributors to increasing the risk for a deadly cardiac event,” Elkind said in an AHA news release.

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How to stay heart-healthy this holiday season

While experts aren’t certain what causes a spike in heart attacks during this time of year, the good news is they are able to pinpoint ways you can prevent them.

Among the ways to stay heart-healthy during the holiday season:

• Celebrate in moderation, looking for small, healthy food swaps to keep overindulging in check. Especially watch your salt intake.
• Keep moving with family walks or other fun activities that help you continue to get the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.
• Reduce the stress from family interactions, strained finances 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 you don’t run out.
• Know the symptoms of a heart attack, which can vary in men and women. Call 911 as soon as you notice the signs.

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While heart attack symptoms can vary from person to person and depending on your gender, they typically consist of:

• Chest pain
• Chest discomfort or pressure ( a feeling of “fullness,” squeezing, or pressure that can even be mistaken for heartburn)
• Pain in other parts of your body (ie. the upper part of your stomach, your shoulders, one arm (probably the left) or both, your back, neck or jaw, or your teeth.
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Coughing or wheezing
• Fatigue
• Nausea, vomiting and dizziness
• Sweating

“Research also shows that the biggest increases in these holiday heart attack deaths are among people who are not in a hospital. This highlights the importance of recognizing symptoms and seeking immediate medical care,” Elkind shares. “Don’t ignore heart attack warning signs because you don’t want to spoil the holidays, the consequences could be much worse.”

It’s also important that people learn how to perform hands-only CPR so they can help when they witness someone having a heart emergency.

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“You could be out holiday shopping, enjoying an office party or spending time at a family gathering and witness someone having a heart attack and going into cardiac arrest,” Elkind says. “Starting CPR immediately and calling 911 could be the difference in life or death in those situations. Hands-only CPR is something nearly everyone can learn and do.”

We are all looking forward to the holiday season and spending time with family, but make sure that you aren’t neglecting yourself in all the preparation for this exciting time of year.