The DAY when people are prone to have a heart attack

A heart attack is a medical emergency, which requires immediate medical help. The symptoms of a heart attack start to appear long before the actual event, which mostly goes unnoticed. While it is difficult to predict when the actual event will take place, scientists have been successful in identifying the day when most people are likely to suffer from it.

It’s MONDAY!

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The first day of the week has always been considered one of the most miserable days of the week. The work pressure, anxiety and meetings get to the best of all of us. Researchers have now come up with another reason to be scared of Mondays.

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According to a Swedish registry study carried out on 156,000 people, most people were found out to be more prone to having a heart attack on a Monday.

Researchers from the top two Swedish universities- Uppsala and Umeå University analyzed data gathered from Swedish hospitals on myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) registered in the national quality registry SWEDEHEART from 2006 to 2013 (8 years).

The findings of the study published in the American Heart Journal revealed that the chances of having a heart attack increase when a person is extremely stressed and if we look at the calendar some days are considered more stressful than others. The data clearly indicated that the rate of myocardial infarction (MI) was higher during the winter holidays and on Mondays, while the chances of the same were minimal on weekends and during summer vacation in July.

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Prolonged stress increases the activity in an area of the brain linked to processing emotions, leading to an enhanced likelihood of developing heart and circulatory disease. When it comes to weekends we are more chilled and relaxed. Our blood pressure is in control and our heart rate is normal.

Besides, stress is only one of the factors responsible for variations in MI rates. Other factors, such as temperature also alters the heart rate. The psychosocial demands on behaviour influence basal biological systems and these changes take place to such an extent that they may potentially lead to a heart attack.

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Previous studies carried on the same issue suggest that highly stressful events like earthquakes and World Cup soccer games may also trigger heart attacks. Monday, which is considered an equally stressful day may also have a similar effect on your heart.

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There are different reasons for having a heart attack. Stress is just one of them. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes are some other conditions that may also lead to a heart attack. Stress can still be managed by pre-planning your week and performing some breathing exercises. This can cut down the risk of a heart attack.

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