Heart Health in Cold Weather

I am meteorologist Flip Spiceland. The winter months are a time for roasting chestnuts, sledding, snowball fight and heart troubles. That's right. When the mercury drops, the risk of heart attack goes up and it's not necessarily from looking at your holiday shopping bill either, although that can be quite a shock.

Doctors say one big reason for the heart attack risk is that cold temperatures can narrow arteries and raise blood pressure reducing oxygen supply to the heart. So the heart has to work harder pumping blood. The colder it gets, the more the heart attack risk goes up. Trying to tackle that snowy driveway can also put a strain on your ticker and lead to a heart attack, especially if you haven't broken a sweat all year.

So if do go to clear a path, take it easy. Start slow and make sure you don't overdo it. Better yet, hand it off to someone else and keep your heart happy by cheering them on from the sideline. Hey! You missed this spot over there. With Wellness & Weather, I'm Flip Spiceland.


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