Heart related Death during Christmas and New Year Holiday

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If you look at the death rate all around the year, you will find that more people die during Christmas and New Year holiday season than any other day. Death rate spike suddenly during the holiday season. Heart Attacks and occurrence of other heart related diseases is sharply increased during this time. Is there any certain reason behind it, or does it just happen naturally. Here we are going to pull the curtain from this must know information. If you read it carefully then you may save your life or any of your close one.

Why Heart Related Deaths increase in Holiday Season ?

  • During holiday season people usually don't care about what they are eating. They just take food as another mode of entertainment during holidays and give themselves false excuses to eat some fatty food. Sometimes it can cost very badly, especially if you are already not in a good shape/health and asked by doctor to avoid some unhealthy food items.
  • Unhealthy attitude towards our own body increases during holiday season. People smoke and drink more during these days as they have off from work. They don't exercise regularly as their main motive is to celebrate the holidays. Combination of these things increase their chances of getting sick. This unhealthy attitude increase weight and takes more salt into the body, which can easily be a burden for a weaker heart.
  • Those are already a heart patient should avoid physical exertion, anger and stress during these days, but most often they don't take care of these factors seriously due to gatherings of family and friends.
  • Winter can double the pain. During this time of the year our metabolism remain slow due to coldness in environment and our immune system can't help us as much as it can during summer.
  • Cold weather in holiday season is usually hard for heart patients. Cold weather constricts the blood vessels and increase the blood pressure. This condition increases the chances of heart attack.
  • Another reason behind more deaths during festive season is that the sufferer delays in getting treatment, and don't report the early symptoms to anybody, to not disrupting the Christmas or new year festivities. Usually such people think that they will visit a doctor once the festive season is over.
  • One more less understood reason is shortage of staff in hospitals due to holiday season. Everybody wants to enjoy the holidays with family, even the doctors and nursing staff.


Some facts to open the eyes:
  • When 53 million U.S. death certificates from 1973 to 2001 were studied, it was found that 5% more heart-related deaths occur during the holiday season.
  • In New Zealand, death rate is 4% more during Christmas and New Year in spite of the fact that it is summer there at that time. It means that cold weather contributes to just 1% rise in death rate, 4% deaths increase due to other factors mentioned above.  
  • According to a study, most number of cardiac deaths occur on Christmas, second highest on Dec. 26, and third highest on New Year Day.

How to Avoid Heart Related Death during Holiday Season ?

  • The very first thing is to take care of your health, regardless of holiday season. Health should be the first priority, especially if you are a heart patient, else you won't survive to see next holiday season.
  • Eat Healthy and avoid smoking and drinking.
  • Exercise regularly as per your regular routine.
  • If it is cold then avoid outdoors and wear warm clothes.
  • Don't hesitate in telling someone if you feel any anything wrong and call an ambulance. It is better to ruin the holiday party for a few hours, rather than transforming the very next day into funeral day.

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