Look After Your Heart Health This Christmas

12th, Dec 2022

The joy and festivities of Christmas and the New Year period can have a serious impact on your heart health. Over-indulgence combined with lack of exercise makes the festive season the most common time of year for heart attacks.

The risk of heart attacks is much greater over the Winter months as cold weather causes blood vessels to constrict, raising blood pressure and making the heart work harder. Blood is also more likely to clot in lower temperatures, so it is important to wrap up warm when going outside.

Christmas is a time for indulgence but overindulging in fatty foods and alcohol combined with irregular exercise routines and the overall stress of Christmas may increase the risk of triggering a heart attack.

There are ways to reduce your risk of a heart attack this Christmas and a few of our tips are outlined below:

• Going out for a walk after your Christmas dinner can help to clear fatty food molecules from your bloodstream.
• Pace yourself when drinking alcohol by reducing the amount of alcohol being consumed or by having a soft between each alcoholic drink.
• Try to avoid too much fatty food or foods with excess salt as these can increase blood pressure. Balance your diet with fruit and vegetables.
• Emotional and financial stress is high during the festive season. Try to be realistic about spending expectations and your Christmas budget. Good planning and avoiding panic buying can reduce tension over Christmas.

If you notice warning signs of a heart problem, it is important to seek help quickly.

Here at Kingsbridge, we offer BUPA Coronary Health Checks which are designed for men and women aged between 45 and 69. This assessment looks for risk of heart disease, and identifies the main risk factors contributing to it, as well as offering practical advice about positive lifestyle changes. So why wait? Get to know your heart health today and plan towards a healthier future.  

A BUPA Coronary Health Check starts at £1037 but this can be added on to any assessment for £799.

To book your health check, call 0330 1345604 or email info@kingsbridgeprivatehospital.com

For further information on all our BUPA Health Checks available, please click here

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