Why More Cardiac Arrests During Winter?

More Cardiac Arrests during Winter

Cardiac arrests risks are doubled during winter as due to cold temperature peripheral blood vessel under skin constricts which puts extra pressure on the heart to pump the blood and maintains the body temperature. The metabolism of the body is also high which increases the oxygen demand and pressure on heart which increases the risk of more heart attacks during winter. All of us are aware of it that smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, Diabetes, Obesity, Lack of exercise are the common factor of heart diseases but besides this winter is also a major factor of cardiac arrests in heart patients or even in a healthy individual. Winter raises blood pressure, few body proteins and also increases the risk of blood clotting as a result of heart disease.

Factors which increases heart diseases during winter:

• Change of seasons fluctuate the cholesterol level and during winter cholesterol levels are higher than normal. Border line cholesterol levels are more prone to cardiac arrest so managing cholesterol level by reducing stress on heart during winter is very essential. Lower temperature also constricts blood vessel which obstructs blood to flow to the heart thus raises blood pressure fluctuation which results cardiac problem.
• Take plenty of rest and do not stress your heart by overdoing of work, exercise and by getting exhausted.
• Little exposure of sunlight is essential. So instead of morning walk in extreme chilly cold days walk during evening in sunlight because Vit-D is very important to keep your heart healthy.
• Eat small and frequent meals regularly instead of one large and heavy meal which puts extra effort to heart.
• Consume alcohol in moderation as excessive alcohol causes atrial fibrillation and arrhythmia and irregular heartbeats and also false warmth sense.
• Cardiac patients should carry emergency medication with them to relieve immediate breathlessness or chest pain after consulting a doctor.
• Wear silk, woollen clothes and cover yourself with scarf and cap, keep your body warm to combat winter as hypothermia is one of the major factors of heart failure during winter when body temperature falls below normal. Try to avoid long exposure of outside cold temperatures.

• Do not avoid the symptoms of a heart attack like chest discomfort, sweating, breath shortness, pain in the neck, arms, jaws and shoulders then visit a nearby doctor immediately.
• Heart patients should go for regular health check-up which avoids serious health problems and makes treatment easy.
• Avoid snow shoveling as it needs extra effort when performed occasionally during winter which puts extra load on the heart and the increased heart demands increase the risk of cardiac arrests.
• Stress increases the heart problems so avoid it.

Some lifestyles modifications are needed to prevent cardiac arrests during winter are as follows:

• Include high-quality animal-based omega-3 fats such as krill oil, fish oil to lower the risk of heart problems during winter.
• Keep your insulin level optimal. As elevated insulin levels obstruct insulin sensitivity which is an important risk factor for heart diseases. If you have higher fasting insulin level then follow a diet which avoids simple sugars and carbohydrates.
• Do regular exercise which keeps your heart healthy.
• Exposure to sunlight for maintaining Vit-D level is very essential as it has direct relation in maintaining blood pressure and lowering heart problems. There is less exposure of sunlight during winter due to shorter days so include more Vit-D through diet like fortified cheese, milk, cereal, fatty fishes like salmon, tuna etc.

End Note: People neither don’t eat properly nor exercise properly during winter which makes them difficult to be healthy during winter days.  So by doing regular exercise with a balanced diet we prevent cardiac arrests during winter.