H.S. Watch Your Heart

Hey folks,

Yes I know it’s Saturday, but I will not be here on Sunday. I will be with family and friends for my Son Joshua’s second birthday. Actually it’s Thursday the 19th, but this Sunday everyone that can, will be coming over to the house. So, you get the Sunday stuff today.

I shared my story not too long ago. I told you how I had a bit of a scare. I’ll admit it. I am not afraid of anything, but that day, I was scared.

I was driving thru the City of Port St. Lucie Florida, just going through a normal day, when I had shooting pains in my chest and all the way down my side. I had to contact a friend of mind who took my to a medical facility. I got hooked up, poked, prodded. The normal stuff. I was sent home with medication and did the follow up stuff.

You have to realize, I have a HIGH tolerance for pain. I pretty much lived in pain for about five straight years. So when I say, the pain scared me. I mean it.

I’m OK. But what if it had been a serious heart attack. Do I really know anything about it? What would happen to my family? My Son? No, I’m not talking about money. We have GREAT insurance. But what about them left without me? Have I really done all that I could do for them?

So whenever I see an article like this one, from LiveScience.com -Sex to Earthquakes: What Causes Heart Attacks , I pay attention. What I found was interesting.

Anger really can trigger a heart attack. But then, so can getting sick, being too hot, being too cold, air pollution, lack of sleep, grief, overeating, natural disasters, exercise and sex.

OK, if I had to chose. {Smile}

In fact, simply waking up is the worst thing you can do if you're trying to avoid a heart attack.

Really?

Heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests seem to come out of the blue, but actually most occur upon waking up in the morning, according to the July 2007 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter.

Before waking, our bodies release stress hormones into the bloodstream to give us the energy to get out of bed, but this also stresses the heart slightly. That nudge can cause a cardiac event if one's arteries already are rife with festering cholesterol-rich plaque.

The dehydration that normally occurs after a night of sleep also puts a plaque-plagued circulatory system at risk. Also, heart medications wear off during the night.

A bout of anger can increase the chances of having a heart attack up to 14-fold for two hours following a flare-up, the Letter states.

Now this, I need to work on. Sorry. Can’t avoid getting out of bed. But I will admit I have a anger problem from time to time. Usually aimed at objects not people. Some people, but then I keep it in. That’s probably not good either.

Strenuous exercise such as shoveling snow or running can be a trigger, but exertion is much less likely to cause trouble in people who exercise regularly. So stay in shape, the authors advise.

That’s good news.

Infectious diseases such as pneumonia and the flu can also trigger heart attacks and strokes.

Did not know that.

The fact is that most people sleep too little, rise and shine, make love, shovel snow, eat too much, overheat, argue and recover from the flu without getting a heart attack.

"Still, knowing what sets off heart attacks, strokes or cardiac arrests can help you avoid triggers or blunt their power," the Letter states.

I just thought this was extremely interesting and wanted to share. Be right back with the IWA.
Peter