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Every year, nearly 735,000 people in the US have a heart attack—and of those, about 120,000 die from it. You probably know that smoking, poor diet choices and a sedentary lifestyle are bad for your ticker, but you may be surprised to find that other things—like climate change, your relationship status and even the sports you watch—could increase your heart attack risk.
Colder temps, along with high winds, snow and rain, can increase your heart attack risk. That’s because your heart has to work overtime when you move from the warm indoors to the cold outside. For winter chores, be sure to bundle up in warm, light layers. And consider passing off hefty snow-shoveling duties to your teenage neighbor. “Shoveling snow … is considered a fairly arduous physical activity,” says Rafii. For someone who’s unfit, that can mean trouble for their heart.
If you do end up working outside, listen to your body and take plenty of breaks.
Ending a marriage can take more than an emotional toll. In a 2015 study, researchers found that divorced women were more likely to have a heart attack than married women; after two divorces, their risk nearly doubled. Men who had one divorce were just as likely to have a heart attack as married men, but their risk increased after two or more divorces. “One of the largest forms of stress is loss of a loved one or divorce or a major life event,” says Rafii. Over time, “the release of stress hormones … can create injury to the wall of the blood vessel,” potentially causing a heart attack.
Do you have a hard time keeping your cool under stress? It could be hurting your heart. In a 2015 study, participants showed an 8.5 times higher risk of heart attack two hours after intense outbursts of anger–in situations such as family arguments, work conflicts or road rage–compared to people who showed milder reactions.
In general, hot-headed people have a higher heart attack risk because repeated episodes of anger could affect blood pressure and blood vessel walls, Rafii says.
Next time you feel your fists clench or your jaw tense up, counting to ten or taking deep breaths to calm down.
We all know exercise is good for the heart, but couch potatoes who suddenly jump into vigorous workouts are upping their risk for a heart attack. Doing too much too soon is dangerous, so talk to your doctor before starting any exercise routine. And remember, just because you look healthy on the outside doesn’t mean you’re healthy on the inside: Hypertension and other heart-related conditions often have no symptoms.
Marathoners aren’t off the hook, either. Extreme athletes may push their bodies too hard, bringing on heart problems that otherwise wouldn’t occur, says Rafii.
This doesn’t mean you have to hang up your sneakers. Just talk to your doctor before signing up for your next race.
If you think the main signs of a heart attack are clenched fists or chest pain and pressure, think again. In reality, “this is only seen in about 50 percent of individuals,”. Other, more common symptoms include a sensation of heaviness in the chest without pain, a sudden onset of difficulty breathing and lightheadedness, fatigue and abdominal discomfort. If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 9-1-1. “Better to be wrong and seek immediate medical attention than to risk missing a true heart attack,
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