Heart attack: Study says this shower habit could lead to a heart attack

Heart attack happens when a part of your heart muscle does not get enough blood. The heart’s coronary arteries could be blocked suddenly or have extremely slow blood supply. This usually happens due to formation of a blood clot. This reduces the supply of oxygen to your heart, which can have hazardous consequences.

There can be several risk factors which can lead to a heart attack, such as your age, family history, blood pressure, cholesterol levels etc. Apart from these health factors, certain external or lifestyle factors can also cause sudden pressure on your heart, leading to a sudden attack. One such lifestyle risk factor may occur in the shower, especially if you are taking a cold water shower.

According to certain experts, sudden exposure to cold water could be dangerous, especially for people with heart disease. It can lead to a heart attack or heart rhythm irregularities. Cold water can shock the body, causing blood vessels in the skin to contract. This can slow the blood flow in your body. To compensate for this, your heart will start beating faster to be able to pump blood around the body. This can also increase the pressure on your blood vessels.

Even if someone is healthy, fit or young, cold water can trigger a heart attack by causing vasoconstriction (tightening of muscles around your blood vessels). Research has found that this usually happens in the hot weather, when people are more eager to immediately step into a cold water shower.

This risk was first identified in a study published in the journal of Physiology, which explained that sudden submersion in cold water is harmful to our body. It can lead to a series of neurogenic cardio-respiratory responses, called the cold shock response. It can lead to gasping, hyperventilation, breathlessness, and panic. This can trigger abnormal rhythms in the heart, and lead to a heart attack.

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Timely identification of a heart attack is important in order to seek immediate treatment. Most heart attacks involve discomfort, such as pain or pressure, in the center or left side of the chest. This can last for more than a few minutes or may go away and come back. This may be accompanied with shortness of breath.

Breaking out into a cold sweat is also a common sign of heart disease. You may also feel extremely exhausted or weak like you may faint. Pain is one of the major symptoms of heart attack and apart from the chest, it also can occur in the jaw, back, neck, arms or shoulders. Other symptoms of a heart attack could include nausea or vomiting. These could be mistaken for gastric issues.

A bucket bath may be a safer option for bathing with cold water as you can regulate the flow of water on your body to avoid any shock. If you still want to take a shower, experts advise it should be done with caution. Enter the water in a slow manner to minimise any hazardous response. This will give your body time to adjust to the change in temperature. To avoid any risks, it is better to begin with tepid water first and then move on to using cold water.

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You do not need to stop taking cold showers altogether, but it should be done with proper caution. You may want to avoid these if you are already suffering from a heart disease.

Besides, a cold water shower can have some health benefits too. An extensive study with 3,000 participants from the Netherlands found that people who took a daily cold shower were 29 percent less likely to take time off work due to sickness. Other studies have suggested that this may be because cold temperature could have a boosting effect on immunity.

Other benefits include a decrease in inflammation in the body. Some medical professionals think that cold water showers may possibly increase longevity and also improve your metabolism.