{"id":301816,"date":"2026-01-24T19:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/301816\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T19:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:39:13","slug":"tips-for-staying-heart-safe-during-cold-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/301816\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for staying heart-safe during cold weather"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While grocery store shelves may be empty, firewood piles filled and cell phones charged, there may be a few more items to check off on your prep list for the upcoming winter storms. Along with the many other hazards of cold weather: it can pose some unique concerns when it comes to heart health. The American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all, offers some important information for staying heart-safe when temperatures drop:<\/p>\n<p>Know the cold weather health dangers<\/p>\n<ul>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>The cold causes blood vessels to contract and coronary arteries to constrict, which can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of\u00a0heart attack,\u00a0stroke\u00a0or even\u00a0cardiac arrest.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Strenuous activities can add stressors to the heart that people\u00a0aren&#8217;t\u00a0normally used to.\u00a0Our hearts also have to work extra hard in cold weather to keep a healthy body temperature.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Hypothermia occurs when your body\u00a0can&#8217;t\u00a0produce enough energy to keep the internal body temperature warm enough. It can kill you. Symptoms include lack of coordination, mental confusion, slowed reactions,\u00a0shivering\u00a0and sleepiness.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>People with\u202fheartdisease\u202foften suffer\u202fanginapectoris\u202f(chest pain or discomfort) when\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0in\u00a0cold weather.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Cold weather\u00a0is also associated with cold and flu season, but be careful about the cold medicines you take, especially if you have high blood pressure.\u00a0It&#8217;s\u00a0best to check with your health care professional or pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter medications,\u00a0supplements\u00a0or substances.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;\n<\/ul>\n<p>Take precautions to stay heart-healthy<\/p>\n<ul>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Your mom was right \u2013 bundle up!<\/strong>\u00a0If you must go out, wear layers to avoid hypothermia and frostbite. Layering clothing traps air between the layers, forming protective insulation. Also, wear a hat or head scarf. Heat can be lost through your head. And ears are especially prone to frostbite. Keep your hands and feet warm, too, as they tend to lose heat rapidly.<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t overdo it.\u00a0<\/strong>Walking through heavy snow &#8211; or climbing up the sledding hill &#8211; isn&#8217;t a walk in the park. Your body is already using extra energy to stay warm, so go slow, take breaks and don&#8217;t exert yourself.<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Shovel safely.\u00a0<\/strong>If you have to clear off the sidewalks and driveway, start gradually and pace yourself. Ideally, push or sweep the snow rather than lifting and throwing it, that action involves a little less exertion. Pay attention to your body and if something doesn&#8217;t feel right, stop.<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Stay hydrated.<\/strong>\u00a0Just because\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0cold and you may not feel thirsty,\u00a0but thirst\u00a0isn&#8217;t\u00a0the best indicator that you need to drink, even if you\u00a0aren&#8217;t\u00a0sweating as\u00a0much\u00a0you still need to hydrate.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Watch out for the added calories in<\/strong>\u00a0cold weather drinks. Comforting drinks like pumpkin spiced lattes and hot chocolate can be loaded with unwanted sugar and fat.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Limit the alcohol.<\/strong>\u00a0Alcohol may increase a person&#8217;s sensation of warmth and may cause them to underestimate the extra strain their body is under in the cold.<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Check on your loved ones<\/strong>: Elderly people may also have lower subcutaneous fat and a diminished ability to sense temperature so they can suffer hypothermia without knowing\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0in danger<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Learn the<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>heart attack warning signs<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>and listen to your body. E<\/strong>ven if you&#8217;re not sure it&#8217;s a heart attack, have it checked out. Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives &#8211; maybe your own. Don&#8217;t wait to call 911.<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Learn CPR:<\/strong>\u00a0EMS response times can be slower in bad weather. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside the hospital each year.\u00a0Hands-Only CPR\u00a0can double or triple a person&#8217;s chance of survival. Save a life in two steps: Call 9-1-1; Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.<\/li>\n<p>&#13;\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.heart.org\/news\/hot-tips-for-cold-weather-heart-health\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">American Heart Association<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While grocery store shelves may be empty, firewood piles filled and cell phones charged, there may be a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[5051,90,157,1699,1939,4094,5505,25209,82095,18,135,137,6424,18330,73476,19,17,6425],"class_list":{"0":"post-301816","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-alcohol","9":"tag-blood","10":"tag-blood-pressure","11":"tag-blood-vessels","12":"tag-cardiac-arrest","13":"tag-cardiovascular-disease","14":"tag-cell","15":"tag-cold","16":"tag-cpr","17":"tag-eire","18":"tag-health","19":"tag-heart","20":"tag-heart-attack","21":"tag-heat","22":"tag-hypothermia","23":"tag-ie","24":"tag-ireland","25":"tag-stroke"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115951774199306392","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}