Shovelling piles of snow after a big storm brings with it many risks, including heart attack.
That’s according to Nick Quinn, the Health Promotion Coordinator at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick.
He says shoveling can be a very strenuous physical activity, and an increased heart rate and blood pressure makes your heart work a little harder.
“When you combine that with the cold weather which also increases blood pressure, there’s gonna be an even more elevated risk for heart attack. Both those factors, the weather conditions and the strenuous exercise are going to also increase heart rate.”
Quinn says if you feel any of the following symptoms you should immediately call 911 and seek medical attention.
“One of the most common ones is discomfort in the chest,” says Quinn. “Shortness of breath as well, nausea, a severe headache, sweating, and dizziness as well.”
Quinn says to minimize the risk of heart attack, you should plan ahead if you know a storm is coming so you aren’t in a rush to shovel, take short breaks to give your heart a rest, and not jump right into shovelling.
“It’s great to warm up before you go out and shovel,” says Quinn. “Go out for a little walk to slowly bring up your heartrate rather than very abruptly as some people do.”
Quinn says it’s wise to ask for help from a neighbour or family member when shovelling large driveways so you don’t overdo it.
