Wellness Watch is a health information and advice column from OhioHealth.
Now that Ohioans are in the long days of winter, heart specialists want to deliver a special winter weather advisory: Shoveling snow may be more than an inconvenient chore — it may strain the heart.
“After the first snowfall, we see a number of people coming in with chest pain and sometimes, heart attacks,” said Dr. Vipin Koshal, a cardiologist with OhioHealth Heart & Vascular Physicians in Athens. “People with underlying heart issues need to be cautious.”
It’s estimated that at least 100 people die each year as a result of shoveling snow, with an untold number suffering heart attacks and other heart and vascular problems. Shoveling snow is particularly dangerous for people 45 and older with known heart issues and who aren’t active on a regular basis.
Under pressure
Shoveling puts pressure on the heart in several ways, mostly by limiting the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. If the heart is deprived of too much oxygen, heart attacks happen.
Cold air causes blood vessels throughout the body to narrow, which lowers blood supply to the heart. “When you add in physical exertion, blood pressure and heart rate go up, putting more pressure on the heart,” Koshal said.
In a report on the potential dangers of snow removal, the American Heart Association noted a study conducted in Michigan that revealed that after only two minutes of shoveling, participants’ heart rates were more than 85% of their maximum.
Cold temperatures make blood thicker and slower-moving, which can trigger inflammation, blood-clotting and heart attack.
The act of shoveling snow is heavy arm work, which is more taxing on the heart than leg labor. Since the legs are less involved, blood may pool in the legs and not get back to the heart efficiently.
Heart problems connected to shoveling seem to show up more often in men than women. That may be because men are more at risk for heart disease, and at a younger age. They also can be less likely than women to visit a doctor regularly and therefore not know about “silent” conditions such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, that contribute to heart disease.
Love your heart
To be completely on the safe side, people at risk for heart attack should put down the shovel and pick up the phone to ask someone to clear snow for them. Snow blowers relieve some of the pressure, but even they can cause heart rates to go up.
One of the best ways for people to protect themselves is to be physically active throughout the year. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise, or about 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week.
“I recommend starting where you can,” Koshal said. “Something is better than nothing, and it doesn’t have to be 30 consecutive minutes. A lot of my patients do 10 minutes of exercise three times a day.”
Walking outdoors isn’t always practical, but free online videos, community center classes or walking up and down the stairs also can do the job. Koshal said some of his patients do work, such as lifting bales of hay or shoveling gravel, that better prepare them for snow shoveling.
Other tips for staying heart-safe include:
- Don’t drink alcohol before or immediately after shoveling, as it too raises blood pressure.
- Wait at least an hour after waking up to head outside; most heart attacks occur within a few hours of waking up. Warm up and stretch before grabbing the shovel.
- Try to shovel before the inches add up.
- Push rather than lift the snow and enlist your legs to take pressure off the upper body.
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