2023-12-23 08:26:01
Health stress at the festival
That’s why heart attacks happen so often at Christmas
As of: 07:28 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Several factors increase the risk of a heart attack over the holidays
Quelle: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF/Science Photo Library
The risk of a heart attack is never as high as it is at Christmas. Doctors explain why this is, what older people in particular can do to protect their hearts over the holidays – and what you should avoid.
Relax, enjoy family time, have a good time: the fact that there is a higher risk of heart attack than usual over the Christmas holidays sounds paradoxical at first.
But there are studies, for example from the USA and Sweden, which suggest this. A Swedish one Study from 2018, for example, shows an increased risk of heart attack on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. This is particularly true for people over 75 and people with chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease or diabetes.
Even if, according to the German Heart Foundation, there is no corresponding research for Germany, it is worth listening carefully to your own heart and its signals during the holidays. Especially if you have previous illnesses.
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But why is it that the holidays can affect our hearts? According to the American Heart Association, it’s a combination of several things factors. One of them: the cold winter weather, which causes blood vessels to constrict and puts more strain on the heart.
Stress, which many people experience around the holidays, is also a factor, as Prof. Thomas Voigtländer, CEO of the German Heart Foundation, says.
In addition, because doctors’ offices are closed over the holidays, many people seek help for heart problems too late. “Especially during longer holiday periods, when the Christmas holidays are right before or after a weekend, heart attack patients are admitted who have waited too long before calling the emergency number 112,” reports Voigtländer from his own experience.
Don’t wait for open doctor’s offices
If you have symptoms that indicate a heart attack, you shouldn’t wait until the doctor’s office is open again on December 27th, advises the cardiologist. A suspected heart attack is a case for the emergency room.
For example, if you suddenly experience severe chest pain. Feelings of tightness, pressure and burning in the chest also indicate a heart attack, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and pain in the upper abdomen.
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What else can high-risk patients do to protect their hearts over the holidays? “It is important that heart patients stick to their routines,” advises Voigtländer. This means, among other things, that you should take your medication as usual.
You should also maintain your usual eating and drinking habits. “You can definitely drink a glass of champagne every now and then, but you shouldn’t overdo it,” says the cardiologist. Changes in diet, fluid intake or even sleeping habits can also promote a threatening cardiac event such as a heart attack.
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