Can watching the Super Bowl be bad for your heart?
Doctor: Heart disease can lead to severe disability
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What a coincidence it is that the big game at State Farm Stadium comes smack dab in the middle of American Heart Month.
Sporting events, especially when your team is losing, can have a definite impact on heart health, according to studies cited by the National Institutes of Health.
Cardiologists from Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital note that stress from watching a close, exciting game could be harmful to those with and without known heart conditions. The body reacts to stress with increased heart rate and narrowing blood vessels which, over time, can add up to damaging the heart.
Research shows that chronic stress can make many of us more likely to get heart disease and have a heart attack. There’s no better time to take control of our cardiac health than Heart Month in February. The American Heart Association says that cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined.
A majority of Americans believe that heart attacks are preventable but aren’t motivated to change unhealthy lifestyles associated with heart disease. But the fact is nearly half of all Americans have at least one of three key risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or smoking.
“Heart disease can lead to severe disability that can negatively impact quality of life for its victims and their loved ones,” said Dr. Gopi Cherukuri, an interventional cardiologist at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital.
Research has shown that men are more likely to suffer heart attacks than women, but women are more likely to die from heart attacks than men. To complicate matters, women may experience different symptoms of heart attack than their male counterparts.
“One of the issues is that women perceive pain differently. Women may not complain of chest pain as often as men,” said Dr. Cherukuri. “And while men most commonly experience chest pain when having a heart attack, women can experience a wide array of symptoms that often overshadow the classic sudden chest pain experienced by men.”
Heart attack symptoms regardless of gender can include, but are not limited to, tingling or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, cold sweat, unusual tiredness, heartburn-like feeling, nausea or vomiting, sudden dizziness and fainting.
So enjoy the game, but if you or someone you know is experiencing any of those symptoms, call 911.
“Don’t get so stressed out or excited over the game you end up in the ER. But if you do have a health emergency, don’t delay your care. Delaying care puts you at greater risk for complications or secondary health issues,” said Dr. Cherukuri.
For more information about Abrazo Health hospitals, take a free heart health risk assessment or to find a doctor, visit AbrazoHealth.com.
