CALIFORNIA, USA — The holidays can be hard on your heart. Research shows more people die as a result of cardiac arrest during the winter holidays than at any other time of year.
ABC10 Health Expert Dr. Tom Hopkins said all of these things that come with the holiday season such as parties, food, drinks and stress can trigger an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when your heart beats at an irregular rhythm and if it's not treated it could be life-threatening. Hopkins calls this "holiday heart."
"You have to just be mindful during the holidays this year of making sure that you're not overindulging in food or in alcohol, and make sure that the other factors, the stress of the holidays don't factor into there. Also, we sometimes drop off on our exercise activity and want to put it off to the first of the year, so everything in moderation is what we should do. Don't change your good habits now for the holiday and adopt some bad ones," Hopkins said.
About 90% of patients who go into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital don't survive, according to the American Heart Association. Hopkins said if you're alone this season and considered high risk it might be good to invest in a device that can track your heart. He said people who know others who are alone and at risk should consider checking on their friends and neighbors. Loneliness can sometimes have the same impact as a disease.
Signs of a heart attack
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Light-Headedness
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