Yes, You Can Really Have a Heart Attack From Shoveling Snow

You may have heard of people, especially older adults, who suffered heart attacks while shoveling snow. This is a real risk for many people, especially if you are sedentary and have certain health conditions. Here’s a look at what’s so dangerous about shoveling and who’s most at risk.

Shoveling snow is difficult

The link between shoveling and cardiac events is real: The American Heart Association cites several studies that found higher rates of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths after snowstorms. Shoveling is hard work, and it can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to increase well beyond levels considered safe for sedentary people with heart disease. Cold temperatures also seem to make chest pain more likely, perhaps because your arteries can constrict from the cold.

Who should consult a doctor before shoveling?

You may have heard the advice to consult a doctor before starting an exercise program. I have more information on this here: Most people don’t do it should consult a doctor, but this depends on your medical history and whether or not you intend to do strenuous exercise.

Since shoveling snow is strenuous exercise, it’s worth taking a look at these guidelines. If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or kidney disease and are not currently doing strenuous exercise, you should consult a doctor before starting. This is true whether the intense exercise you want to do is running, Crossfit, or shoveling six inches of snow from your driveway.

Pushing a snow blower counts too

Surprisingly, the precautions for shoveling snow also apply to using a snow blower. Snow removal turns out Also be a serious exercise, although in theory it should be easier because a machine does some of the work.

How to reduce your risk of heart attack

In a press release from the American Heart Association, the cardiologist who was the lead author of a paper on the risks of exercise recommends that some people not shovel themselves. This includes:

• People who have undergone coronary bypass surgery or angioplasty

• People who have ever had a heart attack or stroke

• Current and former smokers

• People with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or high cholesterol

• Sedentary people

Obviously, advice from an internet article is not the same as medical advice from your doctor, so please defer to actual medical expertise. And if you’re healthy enough that shoveling snow is reasonably safe, you might still want to take a few precautions to make shoveling snow easier on your body. By the way, even though operating a snow blower is hard work, it’s still generally easier on your body than shoveling. And if you need to shovel, pushing a shovel is easier on your body than lifting it repeatedly.

I would add that it’s a game changer to shovel multiple times during a single snowstorm. Instead of waiting until you have six inches of snow on the ground, go out when there are only two inches and it will be a breeze. Repeat this process two more times and you’ll have a clear driveway without ever having to struggle with ankle-deep snow.

Finally, be aware of how your body feels when you shovel and stop if you don’t feel good. Or as the AHA says: “If you experience chest pain or pressure, dizziness, heart palpitations, or irregular heart rhythm, stop the activity immediately.” Call 9-1-1 if symptoms do not improve shortly after snow removal. »