How To Keep Your Heart Healthy During The Winter

Your cardiovascular health is at risk during the cold winter months. It’s not only because people tend to stay indoors and prefer to stay in bed all day, but also the fact that the blood vessels tend to constrict in cold weather. When this happens, blood flow will be restricted, causing poor blood circulation and oxygenation of tissues, most especially the heart muscles, which could result in a heart attack.

That being said, it’s vital to keep your heart healthy during the winter, which can be done by following the tips below.

Stay In Contact With A Healthcare Provider

Whether a doctor, nurse, or caregiver, you should always stay in contact with a healthcare provider who has basic life support certification. Save the phone number and other contact details of your support network, and avail of telemedicine to contact your doctor online so you don’t have to visit the clinic personally.

Wear The Right Clothes To Keep You Warm

Heart attacks are common because of the sudden drop in core body temperature. During cold weather, people’s body systems don’t respond quickly enough to maintain their normal temperatures. In fact, it can take anywhere from several minutes to several hours for the body to return to its normal temperature. 

For this reason, it’s important to wear the right clothes to keep your body warm during winter. Here are some tips to dress for the cold weather:

• Wear insulated clothes, such as thick jackets and coats.
• Keep your feet warm by wearing socks and high boots.
• Warm up your hands by wearing insulated gloves. 
• Wear headgear to keep your head warm and protected. 
• Consider wearing a scarf to protect your neck against the cold weather. 

Watch Your Diet

It’s so easy to munch during the winter season; people love to eat just for them to stay warm. That’s why you have to watch your diet, most especially if you have undergone heart surgery.

Try To Become Active

Lack of physical activity during the winter can also lead to other health risks, such as high cholesterol and diabetes. The lack of exercise leads to a smaller blood supply to the heart, eventually weakening it. This can lead to a heart attack, which may even be deadly. 

People who don’t get out and walk often during the winter months are at a much higher risk for developing cardiovascular problems, such as heart disease and high cholesterol.

Fortunately, you can still be physically active even indoors by doing the following:

• Perform stretching in your living room or bedroom.
• Learn yoga and meditation, which improves both respiration and heart health.
• Play with your children to burst some laugher and sweat.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

The winter time is when people are most likely to suffer cardiac arrest due to alcohol consumption. Long-term excessive drinking may result in heart disease. Here’s how excessive drinking affects the heart:

• Increases Blood Pressure: Excessive drinking causes increased blood pressure or hypertension, which is an important risk factor for heart attack or stroke. Hypertension can be caused by weight gain due to excessive drinking.
• Weakens The Heart: Heavy drinking may lead to a weakened heart muscle. If this happens, the heart loses the maximum ability to efficiently pump blood. Cardiomyopathy, or heart muscle problem, can cause heart failure, which may lead to death.

If you want to avoid having a cardiac arrest during the winter, you need to cut down on your alcohol consumption. Doing so will dramatically help reduce your risk of heart attack and even help prevent further problems such as stroke and other heart diseases.

Wash Your Hands 

During winter, respiratory infections are common due to closer contacts. That’s why proper handwashing is important. As you also realize, the current COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, so washing your hands is a must, along with wearing face coverings to avoid the transmission of any infection.

Don’t Miss Your Prescribed Medication

It’s important to stick with the schedule of taking anti-hypertensive and other heart medications. If you think your medications aren’t working anymore or you feel that you’re experiencing some side effects, contact your doctor immediately.

Stay Indoors And Avoid Shoveling

Snow shoveling can endanger your heart. Instead of shoveling on your own, it’s best to hire someone to do it. Stay indoors as much as you can to stay warm. The longer you stay outdoors, the higher the chance of risking your heart to health problems. 

Conclusion

You can keep your heart healthy during the winter by staying warm indoors, wearing the right clothes, and washing hands more frequently to avoid contracting a respiratory infection. It also helps if you reduce alcohol consumption, especially if you’re a heavy drinker. Try to become more active even if you’re always indoors, such as walking or stretching to keep your heart muscles healthy. Also, if you have regular maintenance medications, make sure to take them as prescribed to avoid high blood pressure.