Regardless of whether you're partaking in a winter sport, such as skiing or ice skating, or you are outside shoveling snow in your driveway, you are putting yourself at risk of heart failure. The cold weather puts a lot of stress on your body. When you overexert yourself, the cold temperatures increase your risk that much more. Keep reading to find out how cold weather affects the heart, heart attack risk factors and how to prevent heart failure in the winter.

Why Does Cold Weather Cause Heart Issues?

The cold air causes the blood vessels in your body to constrict. This then reduces the amount of oxygen that is being delivered to the heart. At the same time, the cold weather causes the heart to work much harder than it usually does to keep that blood pumping and your body warm.

Are You At Risk for a Winter Heart Attack?

There are multiple risk factors for heart disease. Some of these include:

• You have recently had a heart attack, angina or chest pain.
• Heart disease runs in your family history.
• You do not partake in regular physical activity.
• You have previously had issues with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
• You are a daily smoker.
• You are overweight.
• You have regular anger and/or stress flare-ups.

How to Protect Yourself

• Start Slow – Make sure that you start off slow with any type of outside physical activity. You need to give your body and your cardiovascular system a chance to warm up and adjust to the temperature.
• Continue Slow – Don't overdo it. Don't try to do everything in 10 minutes. If you're shoveling snow, do it for roughly 10-15 minutes and stop for a few minutes. Provide your body a chance to recover.
• Wrap Up – Make sure that your entire body is wrapped up. This will help keep the cold away from your body and your body heat in near your body. The most important parts of your body to keep warm are you feet, hands, ears and nose.
• Avoid Caffeine – Never soothe yourself with coffee, soda or even nicotine while you're taking a break from your snow shoveling or other outside winter activity. These things will only cause stress on the heart.
• Avoid Eating Heavy – Before you decide to take a shovel to the snow, make sure that you eat light – or nothing at all. A heavy meal is only going to cause your heart trouble right before strenuous activity.
• Know the Warning Signs – The most important thing that you can do to protect yourself is to know the warning signs of a heart attack. These can include anything from discomfort in the chest as well as one of both arms to lightheadedness and nausea. Other signs could includes shortness of breath and cold sweats. If you experience any of these signs, seek emergency care immediately. 

If you think you may be at risk of heart disease or feel like you need to see a physician, contact a heart doctor in your area at places like Cayuga Medical Center. It is better to know now what's going on with your body than dealing with a major illness in the future that causes you to find yourself in a hospital bed or worse.