HEART ATTACKS AND EXERCISE
Sudden death from heart attack is two to three times more likely to occur in the morning than at any other time of day, the Boston Globe reports. Harvard researchers think this is linked
with a daily surge in the blood clotting mechanism that is at its height early in the day.
This tendency toward clotting is particularly dangerous for people whose coronary arteries (the vessels that feed the heart muscle) have become narrowed by deposits of cholesterol. The combination of blood clots and a partly blocked artery is a bad one that can too easily result in a complete j stoppage of blood flow.
The big question, then, according to the Physician and Sportsmedicine (15#4:39), is whether coronary heart disease patients should avoid taking exercise in the mornings. Obviously, the answer is “Yes.” It is probably safer for them to exercise later in the day. Even more importantly, however, they should recognize the warning symptoms of a threatened heart attack and stop exercising, at any time of day, when any of these are present. Tiredness, breathlessness, pain or a sensation of tightness in the chest, neck, or in the left arm are the most common warning signs. In addition, of course, they should go to see a doctor right away.
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Tags: General health