Heart Health at Christmas
Heart Health at Christmas
Christmas is a time for celebrating and being with family. Many of us use Christmas Day as an excuse to discard our usual diets and routine in favour of indulgence. Increased alcohol intake and more of the less healthy foods are a solid part of Aussie festivities.
While it is fine to indulge on Christmas Day, the significant increase in fatal heart attacks cannot be ignored. Eating more, drinking more and the stress of planning all contribute to this statistic, but we also tend not to seek help during the holidays.
So, here are some ways you can reduce your risk and be more aware of your heart health over the Christmas period.
Reducing Stress
Stress is one of the leading causes of heart disease and other medical problems in Western countries. Stress causes the body to go into ‘fight or flight’ mode, which is critical in life-or-death situations, but creates problems when triggered for prolonged periods.
When stress is constant over multiple days, it becomes a chronic health issue. Chronic stress increases hypertension (blood pressure) and reduces blood flow to the heart. It also disrupts the regularity of our heartbeats and causes general inflammation throughout the body.
The only proven natural way to reduce stress is to increase the length of your breaths. Deep breathing exercises are invaluable at all times of year but might be especially useful over stressful periods such as Christmas.
Try breathing as long and slow as you can for 5 minutes each day, and practise mindful breathing whenever you can. It is such a simple method, but it seriously works!
Stress increases blood pressure, causes inflammation and reduces blood flow. It also causes heart palpitations.
Keeping up with Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise works the circulatory system, helping move blood around the body and keeping the heart strong and healthy. Regular cardio such as running, walking, cycling and dancing are amazing ways to keep the heart healthy.
Any movement is better than none, so pick a type of exercise that you enjoy. You are much more likely to keep it up if you do. As well as directly improving your heart function, exercise reduces stress and improves mental health which also reduces your risk of a heart attack.
If you already have heart disease, have a chat with your doctor to decide which cardio is best for you. It might be that strenuous exercise is off the cards as it can put too much pressure on an already vulnerable heart.
Exercise balances blood pressure and boosts oxygen levels, improves mood and promotes a healthy mindset. It also reduces stress and inflammation.
Sticking to a Routine
One unavoidable aspect of Christmas Day is that it is different. For most of us, our normal routine goes out the window and the day revolves around present opening, prawn eating and wine pouring.
Routine changes put the body under stress, especially at mealtimes. Stuffing yourself full at one meal is not how we usually eat, and it puts added pressure on the heart. Indigestion and heart attacks feel very similar, so post-Christmas-lunch heart attacks are common.
Try to stick to your usual exercise and eating habits. Go for long walks after lunch to help your food digest. Make sure you eat something for breakfast as this will stop you from over-eating at the main event. Your heart will thank you!
Sticking to a routine helps to reduce stress, promote mindfulness and prevent overeating.
Seeking help
Spending your holidays in the hospital isn’t fun, but it is important to seek help when you need it. Unfortunately, people are less inclined to seek medical assistance over Christmas, which is one reason for the increase in fatal heart attacks at this time.
Know the signs of a heart attack and call 000 if you notice any of them. Chest pain, nausea, dizziness, cold sweats and shortness of breath are the main signs, but you might get some of these or none at all.
If you are worried about your heart health, book to see your doctor who will be happy to guide you towards a healthier lifestyle.
Felicity Thompson
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