Just as you bundle up to protect yourself against winter weather, also take care to protect your heart. While we do not always connect the winter season to heart health, there are some important recommendations to consider.

For anyone with high blood pressure, be careful about taking over-the-counter cold and flu medications. Most over-the-counter cold and flu products have decongestants. Using decongestants may cause problems for people with heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, diabetes, or difficulty in urination due to an enlarged prostate gland. If you have high blood pressure or other health issues, it is wise to talk to your physician before taking medication.

Some activities such as snow shoveling, walking through heavy wet snow, or snowdrift can strain the heart enough to cause a heart attack. Shoveling, even pushing a heavy snow blower, can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and the cold air can cause constriction of the blood vessel and decrease oxygen to the heart. All these work in concert to increase the work of the heart and trigger a potentially fatal heart attack. When shoveling snow, don’t overdo it! Shovel many small loads instead of fewer heavy ones. Begin slowly and take frequent, 15-minute breaks. People who don’t get regular physical activity should not risk their health by shoveling snow. Watch for warning signs of a heart attack, lightheadedness, dizziness, being short of breath, or if you have tightness or burning in the chest, neck, arms, or back. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911.

Anyone who suffers cardiac arrest needs CPR immediately, or they’re unlikely to survive more than 10 to 12 minutes. If you do not know CPR, call the American Red Cross, or your local health services to learn more about CPR classes in your community.

Keeping your heart healthy is very important for both men and women. Did you know that more women die from heart disease than any other cause, including all types of cancer? It is the leading cause of death for both men and women, among all races and ethnicities. About 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.

What exactly is heart disease?

Heart disease is a term covering any disorder of the heart. Diseases under the umbrella of heart disease include blood vessel diseases, such as coronary artery disease; heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias); and heart defects you’re born with (congenital heart defects). Cardiovascular disease, which describes problems with the blood vessels and circulatory system as well as the heart.

In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease. When the arteries get smaller or clogged and can’t get enough blood to the heart muscle, you develop CHD. If the blood supply is completely cut off, it causes a heart attack. The part of the heart that does not get oxygen begins to die, and some of the heart muscle may be damaged permanently.

Every minute counts during a heart attack. It is critical to know the warning signs and to act quickly. If you have some of these symptoms, call 911 right away.

*Chest discomfort or pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts longer than a few minutes, or comes and goes,

*Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, back, jaw, or stomach, and

*Cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to have some of the other warning signs, such as shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

While some risk factors are beyond our control (age, gender, race, and family history of heart disease), there are many other risk factors you CAN modify or control! Controllable risk factors include tobacco use, high LDL, or “lousy” cholesterol, and low HDL, or “healthy” cholesterol, uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure), physical inactivity, obesity, uncontrolled diabetes, and uncontrolled stress.

Half of all heart attacks are linked to risk factors that could have been eliminated. Be sure to check on your risk factors, talk to your doctor, and strive to prevent heart disease! February is American Heart Month, so remember to take steps to keep your heart healthy!

Sources:

• CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/toolkits/winterweather/default.html; American Heart Association, https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack; West Virginia University, https://extension.wvu.edu/food-health/heart-health/heart-disease-risk-in-cold-weather