According to new research presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester, serious heart attacks are more likely to occur on a Monday compared to other days of the week.
Why are heart attacks more prominent on Monday? The phenomenon, known as “blue Monday,” has scientists stumped. Previous studies have suggested that heart attacks may be more likely to take place on a Monday due to the body's circadian rhythm, or natural sleep-wake cycle.
Dr Sanjay Chugh, Associate Director, Cardiology, Narayana Hospital, Gurugram said that based on this study, heart attacks are more likely on Monday, essentially because of binging on alcohol and sumptuous meals, combined with partying, and stress of starting the week.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from over 156,000 hospital admissions for a heart attack over seven years. They discovered a few surprising differences in heart attack timing. When looking at day of the week, the most heart attacks occurred on Mondays, and the least on Saturdays.
In fact, according to a study published in Circulation, the top three days for heart attacks are December 25, December 26 and January 1, respectively. Regardless of where we live, researchers have found, we are more susceptible to heart attacks in the winter months, even if it is 72 and sunny in California.
Your risk for heart disease increases with age, especially with people of color and for those who are over 65. While the average age for a heart attack is 64.5 for men, and 70.3 for women, nearly 20% of those who die of heart disease are under the age of 65.
What time of day is a heart attack most likely to happen? “Most heart attacks hit during the early morning hours from 4 – 10 am when blood platelets are stickier, and there is increased adrenaline released from the adrenal glands that can trigger rupture of plaques in coronary arteries,” said Dr.
Heart attacks can happen slowly or suddenly and in varying degrees of intensity.
According to new research presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester, serious heart attacks are more likely to occur on a Monday compared to other days of the week.
Rarely, a spasm in your coronary artery can also cause a heart attack. During this coronary spasm, your arteries restrict or spasm on and off, cutting off the blood supply to your heart muscle (ischemia). It can happen while you're at rest and even if you don't have serious coronary artery disease.
“The circadian system releases more PAI-1 cells in the morning, which prevent blood clots from breaking down. The greater the number of PAI-1 cells in the blood, the greater the chance of a blood clot leading to a heart attack or cardiac arrest,” he explained further.
Heart experts have long believed that weekday mornings – and especially Mondays – were the danger zones for unexpected deaths from sudden cardiac arrests. But a new Cedars-Sinai study shows those peak times have disappeared and now, sudden cardiac arrests are more likely to happen on any day at any time.
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the chest which can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. This uncomfortable pain in the center of the chest can last anywhere from minutes to hours or may even come and go.
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.
The majority of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. While heart attacks can strike people of both sexes in old age, women are at greater risk of dying (within a few weeks).
SMI warning signs
It can feel like an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, or pain. Discomfort in other upper-body areas, such as one or both arms, the back, the neck, the jaw, or the stomach. Shortness of breath before or during chest discomfort. Breaking out in a cold sweat, or feeling nauseated or lightheaded.
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but others start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Pay attention to your body and call 911 if you experience: Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes – or it may go away and then return.
Less often, a coronary artery spasm can cut off your blood flow. Heart attacks can happen when you're asleep or awake. They can happen when: You just went through something very physically or emotionally stressful.
Half the deaths from a heart attack occur in the first 3 or 4 hours after symptoms begin. It is crucial that symptoms of a heart attack be treated as a medical emergency. A person with these symptoms should be taken to the emergency department of a hospital in an ambulance with trained personnel.
The duration of a silent heart attack can vary. If a person experiences symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately. When blood flow to the heart stops for around 20 minutes , the heart can sustain irreversible damage. However, this time frame can vary.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of heart attacks. CHD is a condition in which the coronary arteries (the major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood) become clogged with deposits of cholesterol. These deposits are called plaques.