This also leads to high blood pressure as now more pressure is needed to force blood through your tapered arteries. Furthermore, your heart has to work harder in winters to keep your body warm thereby increasing the demand for oxygen. Also, in winters, the blood becomes thicker and bad cholesterol levels are on the rise.
“The reason for an increased blood pressure, in winters, is vasoconstriction (narrowing of the arteries). It takes place in response to temperature change and release of certain hormones like Catecholamines, which leads to constriction of blood vessels and faster heart rate, which then increases the blood pressure. By default, as the blood pressure control becomes less efficient, there is a rising incidence of cardiac diseases as well as cerebrovascular accidents and strokes,” says Dr. Amitabh Parti, Senior Consultant and Unit Head (Internal Medicine), Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon.
While sharing his views on other illnesses which become acute during winters, Dr. Parti said, “The relationship of a disease process to temperature change is well known and it (winter) is the period in which an individual's body is attempting to get acclimatized to the temperature. This is when he/she is more susceptible to such ailments.”
He further added, “Due to cold weather, there is a compromise in circulation as the body tends to improve circulation to vital organs like brain, heart, kidneys etc. in an attempt to keep these organs warmer than the rest of the body. As a result, the joints, fingers, and body extremities are compromised in blood circulation and tend to get stiff, painful, and mildly swollen.”
However, there are certain precautions which one can take in order to mitigate the adverse effects of winter.
Doctors advise
- Wearing warm clothes and doing light exercises indoors to avoid falling sick
- Gorging must also be avoided.
- Eating right is the key to reducing or even eliminating some heart disease risk factors
- One needs to maintain a healthy weight, reduce bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure and blood sugar, in order to keep the heart healthy
- One should increase the intake of fruits and vegetables; cut down on fat and high-calorie items; avoid red meat; eat small but frequent meals, avoid junk food, reduce salt and most importantly, exercise regularly.
- The trend is expected to continue for at least a month or two. Hence, it becomes extremely important that special care and caution is exercised while the winter chill lasts.
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