TRAVERSE CITY - The holidays are all about joy and getting together, but they can also be very stressful.
“Christmas and New Year’s, it’s a very exciting time. Unfortunately, it comes with an increased risk,” says Dr. Jay Gibbs, an interventional cardiologist at Munson Medical Center.
And that stress creates an increased risk for a heart attack or stroke.
The American Heart Association says there’s an increased risk for heart attacks by 37 percent on Christmas eve, the day after Christmas and New Year’s Day.
“Many of us are traveling. We’re busy. We have a tendency, as we’re celebrating, to maybe overeat, overindulge, and we’re less active. And that all those are all risk factors for increased heart attack and stroke,” explains Gibbs.
Gibbs says to look for potential signs in our loved ones and encouraging them to seek help if they have symptoms.
“You know, if you’re having symptoms for heart issues can be variable, right? Not everything is like Gray’s Anatomy. If you have any unusual tightness, heaviness in the chest, specifically, if it’s worsened by exertion, if it’s associated with any shortness of breath, any nausea, if you break out into a sweat with it, these are all warning sign,” he explains.
Another risk during the holidays are strokes and sometimes they come without warning.
“Stroke cannot hurt. It can be painless. And so, patients may not know they’re even having a stroke. And so it’s critical because we have a very finite amount of time to get in and treat a stroke, either with medication or with special surgical devices, techniques, things like that. That period of time is really only out to about 24 hours, but for some therapies, some drugs only 3 hours,” says Dr. Gary Rajah, surgical director of stroke and endovascular services at Munson Medical Center.
Rajah wants others to identify symptoms if they are able so they can track if a stroke is happening. He recommends the acronym “Be Fast.”
“B is for balance. If someone is a little off balance and doesn’t have a good explanation for that, that can be one sign of a stroke. The E stands for eyes and vision. If someone’s experiencing acute vision issues, that can be a sign of a stroke. The F is for face. You know, this is a very common thing. Someone is talking to someone and they notice that the corner of the mouth is drooping or there’s a little bit of drool coming out. That can be a sign of a strong person should seek medical attention The other findings can be Arm weakness or body weakness on one side. Speech not being able to talk properly or feeling very slurred. And you know, those are the main symptoms we talk about. I would tell anyone who’s having a stroke, the T stands for time. Either they or their loved one should call 911 and get them to the nearest emergency room,” he shares.
And while this helps identify symptoms, it’s important to keep up with daily prevention, too.
“It’s important to celebrate with families and friends. But it’s also important to take good care of yourself and so be active. You know, the American Heart Association recommends that you exercise, you know, 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Keep that up, you know, build in building a walk during the daytime while you’re visiting family,” says Gibbs.
