Cold Cut

As part of New Year resolutions,many of us pledge to join the gym to get back into shape and keep our body weight under control. It is not uncommon to see many people enrolling themselves for the same and buying sports shoes along with exercise equipment to honour their pledge. Most of these enthusiastic pledgers have usually never exercised before,make several failed attempts and in all likelihood over exert themselves for the initial few days,and give up,eventually,disappointingly.

Generally,people believe that during winters there is a surge of common cold and flu. However,winter mornings are also notorious for unusually high occurrence of heart attacks as well. Deaths from heart disease including sudden death tend to increase rapidly at the start of winters and peak around New Year’s Day. The risks of having a heart attack during the winter months are twice as high as during the summers. Furthermore,a heart attack in the winter is also more likely to be fatal than during any other time of the year. Studies have shown that heart attacks and complications related to heart disease occur more frequently in the morning hours during winter months. The reasons for higher incidence of heart attacks are poorly understood. It might be due to cold induced narrowing of heart blood vessels leading to less blood supply to heart muscle. Combined with a strenuous unaccustomed activity at the gym,this can put strain on the heart,triggering a heart attack in those at risk. Research suggests that the early-morning rise in blood pressure or “morning surge” that occurs in most people may dramatically increase the risk of having a heart attack. Additionally there is sympathetic hormonal imbalance during the morning hours leading to enhanced predisposition for heart attacks. Finally,it is believed that there is augmentation in respiratory infections during the winters,which are now being increasingly associated with heart attacks.

These attacks are particularly dangerous as many a times “chest pain” which is the fundamental symptom of heart attack might be mistaken and confused with muscle pull during the overzealous indulgence at the gymnasium.

Safety measures & precautions
It is advisable to withhold strenuous exercise during winter mornings. One should wear warm clothing to protect from cold waves. Wearing clothes in layers traps the air and forms a protective insulation. Wearing protective head and ear gear are beneficial as much of body’s heat is lost from here making one vulnerable to cold injury. People who have multiple risk factors for heart disease should first consult their cardiologist before accessing any exercise programme in the gym. During winters,one should also take measures to avoid overeating and be compliant with drug treatment. Heart disease patients who have a ritual of morning exercise should best postpone the same to late afternoon. Lastly,perhaps the best gift of the season would be getting annual heart check up done now and take adequate precautions accordingly.

The writer is an interventional senior consultant cardiologist at INSCOL hospital,Chandigarh and Fortis hospital,Mohali.