More people suffer from heart attacks during the holiday season than any other time of the year.

Dr. Skyler Nguyen, a family practice physician for Optum Utah, said research shows more cardiac deaths occur on Christmas than any other day of the year, followed by the day after Christmas and then New Year’s Day.

“Studies done in recent years show about a 4% increase in death on these days,” he said. “That doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you put it in more detail, it’s about 200 more deaths, which is quite a significant number.”

Nguyen said there are many speculations as to why more people die from cardiovascular disease on these three days. First of all, he said, it’s a stressful time of year.

“You have a lot of obligations such as buying gifts and worrying about your finances, a lot of people are traveling, not sleeping well, eating more food high in fat and sodium, neglecting exercise and even drinking more alcohol,” he said. “As we approach the holidays, we tend to give ourselves a little bit of slack and put off a lot of things we should be doing to take care of ourselves.”

Nguyen said when people are under stress, cortisol, the hormone that helps control your body’s response to stress, spikes and that can put strain on your heart. The holidays also can cause more depression and anxiety for people who have lost a loved one.

“Any kind of mood issue can put strain on the body and increase your inflammatory markers,” he said. “If you’re not getting enough sleep, your blood pressure can rise and that can lead to heart trouble, and sodium is a very big offender. It can cause you to retain a lot of fluid, putting strain on your kidneys and heart.”

If you’re traveling, it’s important to get up and stretch or walk for a minute so you don’t remain sedentary for several hours, which can cause blood clots to form.

Nguyen said anyone having symptoms of a heart attack shouldn’t ignore them; get to a hospital as quickly as possible. Signs of heart attack in men and women can be different. Men tend to have the classic symptoms of chest pain and the feeling of an elephant sitting on top of them, Nguyen said. They also can have shortness of breath; pain radiating to the shoulders, arm, back, neck, jaw and teeth; cold sweat; or sudden dizziness.

Women, he said, can have shoulder pain; anxiety; upper abdominal pain; lightheadedness; unusual fatigue; shortness of breath; pain in the jaw, neck, back or arm; and feelings of nausea.

“The holidays can be very joyous and fun, and that’s what we want for people,” Nguyen said. “But it’s really very important to take care of yourself. Take time to relax, get some exercise, limit your alcohol intake, cut back on unhealthy food and stay in touch with your doctor regarding the status of your health.”

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