Surprisingly, during the holiday season, many people have to go to the hospital with heart related-conditions.

The holidays are associated with dinners, parties, cookies and treats — so it is not a surprise that health issues follow. 

The Science Behind the Issue

In 1987, a group of doctors conducted a study which proved atrial fibrillation was associated with the holidays.

Thus, the term “Holiday Heart Syndrome” was coined. The study was based off of 24 seemingly healthy patients who all had one thing in common: they all regularly consumed alcohol and over-indulged in alcohol during the holidays.

Watch Yourself

If you’ve heard that alcohol is good for the heart, you are not wrong. However, that right amount can be hard to obtain. For women 1-2 drinks and for men 1-3 drinks, walks a thin line to heavy alcohol intake. Too much alcohol can be cardiotoxic and weaken the muscle that is your heart. Excessive alcohol consumption can also raise your blood pressure and stretch the upper chambers of your heart which, in turn, can lead to atrial fibrillation.

While alcohol played a major factor in that particular study, there are other factors that can contribute to Holiday Heart Syndrome.

One of those, of course, is overeating. When we overeat, a nervous system in our body known as the vagal nervous system is activated. This particular nervous system signals our body to rest, sleep, and digest food, which all slow your heart rate.

To go hand in hand with overeating, especially around the holidays, is too much salt consumption. Salt is not completely bad for you, but it is extremely easy to consume too much. When you have too much salt, your body will retain fluids and spike your blood pressure. With people who have a history of high blood pressure or other heart-related conditions, the upper chambers of the heart can stretch and cause atrial fibrillation.

Avoiding heavy alcohol consumption, too much salt, and overeating are just a few things you can do to help prevent Holiday Heart Syndrome. Alcohol, food, and salt can all still be enjoyed in moderation.

If you have existing heart-related problems, it is always a good idea to schedule a checkup before the holidays begin to best monitor your heart and condition.