Researchers have been tracking the timeline of heart attacks in Sweden. The latest Europen research found that the risk of having a heart attack is higher on Christmas Eve and during the holidays compared with other times of the year.
The new study is believed to be the largest one that uses heart attack data from a popular registry in order to look at whether national holidays and prestigious sports events can play a role in triggering heart attacks.
The study was conducted by researchers at Lund University, the Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University, and Örebro University, Sweden.
The experts analyzed the exact timing of 283,014 heart attacks which have been reported over 16 years in Sweden.
Christmas increases the risk of heart attacks
Huffington Post notes this: “Published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ, the findings showed that Christmas was the holiday that appeared to increase the risk of heart attack the most, by 15 percent compared with the control period, with the risk of heart attack peaking at around 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, particularly for older and sicker people.”
Researchers suggested that as the Christmas Eve is the main day of celebration in Sweden, this could be the time when emotional stress reaches the highest levels. It’s also interesting that midsummer holidays have been associated with a 12% higher risk of heart attacks.
People were more likely to experience a heart attack early in the morning at about 8 a.m. and on Mondays.
The risk was increased for seniors over the age of 75 and for people suffering from diabetes and heart disease.
It’s interesting that New Year’s Eve was not associated with an increased risk of heart attacks.
The risk was higher for people to experience a heart attack on New Year’s Day itself.
This has been explained by experts “by negligence and masking of symptoms due to alcohol.”
I have been blogging and posting articles for over eight years, but my passion for writing dates back in 2000. I am especially enthusiastic about technology, science, and health-related issues. When I’m not researching and writing the latest news, I’m either watching sci-fi and horror movies or checking out places worth visiting and building deep memories for later in life. I believe in empathy and continually improving myself.