Sweets to holidays, big coats to bonfires, Ecstatic Winters are every heart’s desire! Beware as Cold can impede lub-dub of your heart Know how to fight for your heartbeat!
Fallen leaves, darker evenings, plunging temperatures and I freezing climate are proofs that winter has knocked at your doorstep! Woolen clothes to campfires, as the cool breeze swirls around your skin makes you feel good, but remember all that feels good is not always good for the body! Icy weather makes staying warm a priority for all of us as the cold dries our skin and causes common infections like sore throats and fever, which are a few, but not very harmful or life-threatening.
Staying warm is also a priority for our body, which is done via a built-in thermoregulatory system. Therefore, when you come in contact with cold, you lose body heat through conduction/convection, which is followed with chill and shivering to generate heat to keep your core temperature from falling. In order to prevent heat loss from internal organs, these processes occur with our heart pumping extra blood to all body parts continuously upon constriction of blood vessels supplying blood to the hands and feet. Blood pressure rises and metabolism slows down but the pressure on heart to work extra in the cold weather increases, thus posing arisk of heart attack or stroke.
You’re hurting your heart every Winter!
Winter is the most vulnerable season for people suffering from heart ailments as over-activity of heart can pose
risk of dangerous complications like heart attack, stroke, cardiac diseases, etc. Let alone the heart patients,
following aspects due to winter season pose dangerous effects on hearts of healthy individuals and those with no
inkling about a preexisting heart condition.
‘ The cold makes you stay indoors and routine habits of basking in the morning sun by exercising and jogging (if there were any) become new year resolutions for many. Lack of recommended vitamin D levels affected the heart health immensely and deprive one out of heart health benefits of the sun.
‘ Air pollution, staying/driving in traffic, Smoking, passive smoking during winters makes one inhale pollutants including particulate matter with fog, which again paves the way for dangerous cardiovascular events like rising heart rate, blood pressure, ischemia, etc.
‘ Cold temperatures bring a lot of bodily changes by activating sympathetic nervous system and catecholamine secretion that increase blood pressure through increased heart rate as constricted blood vessels make heart to put in extra effort to pump blood, Constricted blood vessels with high cholesterol levels during winters is a deadly combo inviting heart stroke!
Follow these to keep heart attacks at bay!
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Keep the fat in check
Cholesterol levels are high in winters, and if you’re a sufferer of borderline high cholesterol, risk of cardiovascular conditions are high. Management of high cholesterol levels with lifestyle and dietary modifications along with prescribed medicines relieve burdens stressing your heart. -
Bask in the sun and move
Yes, lazing in cozy blankets sounds heavenly, but a 15 mins. walk when its slightly sunny for sunlight exposure won’t harm a penny but keep your heart happy. Avoid going for walks/jogging very early morning on extreme chilly days though, but being physically active -
Stay warm
Wear layers of warm clothes to prevent cold biting your skin. Bathe in hot water and stay indoors during extreme cold to prevent heart attacks due to episodes of hypothermia (dangerously low body temperature upon prolonged exposure to cold temperatures). -
Avoid excessive drinking
General fact that alcohol keeps you warm, shouldn’t be misused by indulging in excessive drinking. Too much alcohol can cause irregular heartbeats, hence must be consumed in moderation. -
Eat heart healthy small meals
Winter tends to make people eat more than usual, therefore a large meal in one shot can load your heart. Small but frequent meals at regular intervals, made of healthy heart foods like fruits, vegetables, with cooking oils like canola or olive oil, along with limiting intake of salt and sugar will prevent irregular heartbeats and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well. -
Don’t hurdle, slow down
Body conscious folks tend to overdo exercises, workouts or chores, and end up feeling exhausted. Being physically active is good but frequent breaks and ample rest are also essential to de-stress your heart!
