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Sports Fans Should Be Aware of Heart Attack Risks

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Sports fans are well-accustomed to weathering the highs and lows of a suspenseful game. If your team is performing well, it can be an exciting time. If the other team is winning, it’s a less enjoyable experience. Whatever the situation, it’s important to be aware of the potential heart risks for sports fans.

heart risks for sports fans
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According to the American Heart Association, studies have shown an increase in arrhythmias and heart attacks during major sporting events like the World Cup. With football season underway, fans here in Minnesota should be aware of their heart health and heart attack risks before sitting down to watch the game.

Increased Stress Can Raise Heart Risks

The reason for the increased heart risks for sports fans? Experts say it’s all about emotion. An attachment to a team leads to emotional stress. When a game gets suspenseful or disappointing, that stress grows in intensity. This essentially triggers a fight-or-flight response, causing an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. All of these factors can trigger a cardiovascular event.

Be Aware of Heart Disease Risks

Of course, not every sports fan is at risk of a heart attack during every game. Other heart disease risk factors – including weight, activity level, and the incidence of high blood pressure – can contribute. Talk to your doctor about your risk, and take steps to improve your heart health. Quit smoking, watch your cholesterol, eat a heart-healthy diet and get moving!

Continue to Enjoy Your Favorite Sports

Overall, these heart risks for sports fans don’t mean that you shouldn’t watch and enjoy football games. It’s just important to be aware of those risks and take steps to improve heart health and minimize excitement and stress. 

Protect Your Health with Hands-Only CPR

Whether you’re a football fan or not, hands-only CPR is a good skill to have. We offer FREE CPR and First Aid courses through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota – sign up today!

 

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in Minnesota. Find your CPR Class, PALS Class, BLS Class or ACLS Class at any of our Minnesota locations:

We also partner with Appleton and Anchorage for select classes.

Tips for Heart-Healthy Eating in 2018

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Tips for Heart-Healthy Eating in 2018

Is healthy eating on your list of resolutions for 2018? There are many reasons to adopt a better diet – weight loss, more energy, better overall health and more. But did you know that healthy eating can also help your heart? Here are a few heart-healthy eating tips from the American Heart Association.

Don’t Go On a Diet – Make a Lifestyle Change

When embarking on a new healthy eating plan, think of it not as a short-term fix, but as a lifetime change to your eating habits. Don’t completely overhaul your diet at once, but make small, achievable changes. Once you’ve mastered those, make more. Need somewhere to start? Focus on adding in one or two servings of fruit or vegetables or drinking one fewer sugary beverage per day. Then go from there.

Cook and Eat at Home

Restaurants – especially fast food or quick service eateries – are notorious for their high sodium levels. Since sodium is a major contributor to heart attack and stroke, being able to know and control the amount of sodium in your food is essential for minimizing heart disease risk. You can also substitute healthier ingredients – brown rice instead of white, for example – and you’ll save a lot of money in the process!

Watch What You Drink

The added sugar in soda, juice, energy drinks, specialty coffee or other sweetened beverages can significantly increase your calorie intake. In addition, multiple studies have found links between added sugar and a heightened risk of heart disease. Drink water in place of sugary beverages to minimize your risk. Experts also recommend limiting alcohol to one drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day for men.

It’s important to know your heart disease risk and take action to minimize it. It’s even more important to know what to do if someone you love experiences a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest. HeartCert offers affordable CPR and First Aid classes for all levels of experience. Get in touch to learn more.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in Minnesota. Find your CPR Class, PALS Class, BLS Class or ACLS Class at any of our Minnesota locations:

We also partner with Duluth, Mankato, Rochester, Appleton and Anchorage for select classes.

Catch More Zzzzs to Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease

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a walrus sleeping

By now, we all know the importance of sleep for physical and mental health. Getting the right amount of high-quality sleep every night has many benefits, from increased mental acuity to better skin to a lower weight, and much more. Did you also know that getting enough Zzzzs every night can reduce your risk of heart disease?

In a recent study reported by the American Heart Association, researchers found that adults who got adequate, quality sleep had fewer early signs of heart disease than those who slept either too much or too little, or who reported lower rest quality.

Specifically, the study found that those who slept five or fewer hours per night had 50 percent more calcium in their coronary arteries than those who got seven hours of sleep. But more isn’t always better: those who slept nine or more hours per night had 70 percent more coronary calcium than those who slept seven hours.

The study also showed that sleep quality matters. Participants who reported getting restless, wakeful or otherwise low-quality sleep had 20 percent more coronary calcium than those who regularly achieved restful sleep. Researchers believe that, for reducing heart disease risk, quality may be more important than time. “Adults with poor sleep quality have stiffer arteries than those who sleep seven hours a day,” said Yoosoo Chang, M.D., the study’s lead author.

If you struggle to get enough high-quality, restful sleep, here are a few things that can help you and reduce your heart disease risk in the process.

  • Don’t look at your phone or any other screens for at least one hour before bedtime.
  • Play white noise, and keep your bedroom cool.
  • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
  • Have a high-protein, low-sugar snack shortly before bedtime.
  • Consume sleep-promoting foods and drinks, such as tart cherry juice or chamomile tea, in the evening.

Because heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women in the United States, it’s important to minimize your heart disease risk factors, and to know what to do if someone you love experiences a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest. HeartCert offers affordable CPR and First Aid classes for all levels of experience. Get in touch to learn more.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in Minnesota. Find your CPR Class, PALS Class, BLS Class or ACLS Class at any of our Minnesota locations:

We also partner with Duluth, Mankato, Rochester, Appleton and Anchorage for select classes.