Heart Health Archive

Wintertime can pose challenges to cardiovascular health. Cold temperatures can cause arteries to narrow, which can leave people with heart disease vulnerable to angina or heart attacks, especially during physical exertion. Changes in sleep, eating, and exercise habits related to the season may also affect the heart. Crowded indoor gatherings also raise a person's risk for respiratory infections, which can exacerbate heart disease.

Having a dog or another pet appears to lower the risk of high blood pressure and improve blood pressure control. Pet ownership may foster positive feelings (such as decreased stress) and habits (such as daily walks) that may improve heart health. People who own dogs walk about 20 minutes more per day on average than those without dogs. Pets can help combat loneliness and social isolation, which have been linked to a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from these causes.

Palpitations, which are defined as an awareness of an abnormal heartbeat, can feel as though the heart is skipping, flip-flopping, or racing. These heart "hiccups" are usually harmless, such as those that result from a small surge of adrenalin that causes the heart to beat faster or more forcefully than usual. But some unusual heart rhythms warrant closer attention, especially if they occur in tandem with symptoms such as feeling lightheaded, dizzy, or faint.

Dry-roasted assorted nuts are a heart-healthy alternative to traditional holiday sweets. They contain unsaturated fats that help lower harmful LDL cholesterol and inflammation—two key culprits in cardiovascular disease. Nuts are also a decent source of protein, which helps people feel full and may prevent overeating. They contain fiber (which may also reduce cholesterol and increase satiety) as well as several vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that help counteract inflammation and oxidation, another artery-damaging process implicated in heart disease.

Many people have misconceptions about avoiding heart disease. One involves the use of over-the-counter fish oil capsules, which do not prevent heart disease in healthy people. Another relates to confusion about the ideal blood pressure targets in older adults. Some people are misinformed about the implications of a family history of heart disease, while others may be confused about the differences in heart attack symptoms between men and women.

A heart murmur is the sound of turbulent blood flow within the heart as heard through a stethoscope. In adults, most abnormal murmurs are caused by an aortic or mitral valve that's not working correctly.

To protect the heart during the winter, it's important to take certain precautions. Steps include staying up to date on flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, avoiding cold remedies that can raise heart rate and blood pressure, figuring out where and how to exercise indoors if it's too cold to exercise outside, developing a regular practice of stress management (such as practicing yoga and getting enough sleep), and avoiding overindulgence when it comes to drinking alcohol or eating holiday foods.

People who do two to four times the amount of exercise recommended by the U.S. physical activity guidelines may reduce their mortality (especially from heart disease) more than people who meet the exercise guidelines, according to a 2022 study.

Eating red meat has long been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. Breakdown products created by gut bacteria when people eat meat may contribute to this heightened risk, according to a 2022 study.

People who take naps on a regular basis may be more likely to have high blood pressure, according to a 2022 study. Poor or insufficient sleep at night — a common cause of daytime naps — may be the underlying cause.