You are familiar that consuming healthily and daily exercise are vital for maintaining good heart health. But did you know that during in winter season, you might also need to be more cautious? This article discusses how cold temperatures affect your heart or How can you keep your heart healthy in winter? It also lists precautions to take in the cold weather when you have heart disease by Dr. Ravinder Singh Rao.
How can you keep your heart healthy in winter? – Dr. Ravinder Singh Rao
Your heart rate or blood pressure may rise in cold weather. And the effort required by your heart to pump blood may increase. If a person has heart disease or other diseases related to the heart, these temperature changes may also be vital.
Here are a few causes of why you should pay extra attention to your heart, along with advice on how to prevent them.
A Cold Climate:
We have a cold climate where we live in the Philadelphia area. Be aware that cold weather can cause arteries to constrict, reducing the amount of blood reaching the heart. Strenuous activities like shoveling snow can significantly tax the heart and cause a heart attack when combined with low temperatures.
As your body works harder than usual to stay warm or if you have heart disease, you may experience chest pain in the cold.
What you can do?
- Ask a heart specialist if it’s okay for you to shovel snow if you have health conditions like high blood pressure (hypertension) or heart disease. Also, keep hydrated, move slowly, and take breaks if you are doing your shoveling. To reduce the weight, use a shovel with a small blade. Since overheating can result in a heart attack, dress in layers so you can shed clothing if you become too warm.
Too Much Indoor Time:
Many of us stay indoors and increase our sedentary behavior as the weather gets colder. Additionally, you’re probably spending more time inside than usual due to the pandemic.
What you can do?
- Exercise at home with circuit training, yoga, cardio dance videos, and also household duties like vacuuming to stay in shape. Exercise can potentially reduce stress. Stress can also damage your heart, as you may have already heard.
Overindulgence:
In the winter, it might be more difficult to resist drinking alcohol and eating comfort foods that are high in salt, fat, and sugar.
Also, you can read Top Cardiac Care Tips by Best Cardiologist in Delhi
What you can do?
Warm up with nutritious foods like:
- Low-sodium soups without cream
- Oatmeal
- Carrots and other winter vegetables roasted
Flu season and COVID:
Flu symptoms include fever, dehydration, and inflammation, which can put your heart under more strain. According to studies, COVID-19 may cause heart damage in some patients.
What you can do?
- The usual advice for preventing the flu is to get vaccinated, wash your hands frequently, and avoid contact with sick people.
Conclusion
The cold temperature can be challenging for your heart. But with an ethical lifestyle, you can make your heart enjoy this season. Also, do not ignore any symptoms and immediately consult the best cardiologist. Any other delay in the diagnosis and heart disease treatment can be fatal and raise the risk of heart complications.
Also, you can read Tips to Avoid Sudden Cardiac Arrest
If you have been diagnosed with a heart condition, talk to a heart specialist– Dr. Ravinder Singh Rao, about the precautions you need to take in cold conditions. Only the best cardiologist will be able to give you the guidance that is right for you to prevent the circumstance of heart attacks in cold weather. For more, you can also contact us on the emergency helpline number +91-7891791586
