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By Veronica Beltran

hard on our hearts

TYH: Winter can put a strain on our hearts

Feb 20, 2020 | 5:21 PM

Winter can put a strain on our hearts, that is what I learnt this week after interviewing, Amanda Nash with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Things that we don’t do all year round such as, walking in the snow, shovelling or pushing a car out of the snow can have an effect. As a matter of fact, the chance of a heart attack actually increases after a snowfall.

“Some studies have shown that after a heavy snowfall within the next day or two there is an increase in heart attack.” – Amanda Nash, Health Promotion and Nutrition Manager, Heart and Stroke Foundation

Nash suggests easing yourself into winter activities “allowing our body to slowly adjust to things.”

The highest incident rate of heart attacks occurs in the months of October and January due to winter activities and temperature changes.

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“We know when it’s colder temperatures it does cause our blood vessels to constrict, which means it’s harder to get all that oxygen flowing to the muscles and the heart.”

80 percent of premature risk of heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy living, “we do want to keep that regular physical activity routine aiming for a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

Symptoms of a heart attack include:

• pressure, tightness, pain or squeezing of the chest that may spread to your arms, neck and jaw.
• nausea
• heartburn
• shortness of breath
• light headedness

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