Once upon a lifetime ago, my father took a job in upper New York state and moved all us lock, stock and barrel, from the wonderfully warm and sunny state of Texas to a little spot 10 miles from Lake Ontario.
The first snow of the season was a delight. Overnight the world was transformed into a beautiful, pristine wonderland that looked just like Christmas cards. Of course, the car had to be shoveled out so our father to get to work, but even when the snowplow came by and filled in the driveway about 5 ½ seconds after we finished the job, we didn’t mind. It was, after all -- SNOW!
Unfortunately, no one told us that the cold, the snow, and the driveway, and the shoveling, and the snowplow, and more shoveling, would be there the next day, and the next, and the next. In fact, that winter turned out to be the worst one on record in 50 years.
Needless to say, our love affair with the snow soon ended leaving not-so-fond memories of cold, snow, shoveling -- and more wet cold, and snow, and shoveling!
For anyone who’s ever experienced shoveling snow first-hand, then you know that it absolutely counts as "exercise." It can be hard on the back, arms, as well as various other body parts and your morning attitude!
Let’s face it -- working up a sweat despite the cold isn’t hard when shoveling snow is involved. As it turns out, shoveling snow may not only be bad for your back ... it may be bad for your heart as well.
The myth that shoveling snow can lead to a heart attack appears to be much more than just an old wives' tale. According to researchers at Kingston General Hospital in Kingston, Ontario, shoveling snow is bad for your heart and may lead to heart attack and even death for certain individuals.
The study is the brainchild of Dr. Adrian Baranchuk, a cardiologist and professor at the Queen’s School of Medicine. Baranchuk became interested in the effect of shoveling snow on the heart after seeing 14 heart attack patients in the emergency room in a single morning, eight of whom had been shoveling snow at the time of the heart attack.
Curious as to why so many patients were suffering heart attacks after shoveling snow, Baranchuk found that while it’s generally accepted that shoveling snow was bad for the heart, there was no empirical evidence to back up those claims. As a result of the lack of evidence, Baranchuk began examining records of heart patients at Kingston General Hospital.
In total, Baranchuk and his team examined the records of 500 Kingston General Hospital heart attack patients treated during the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 winter seasons. Researchers only considered heart attacks that occurred after the first snow occurred.
Of the 500 heart attacks, Baranchuk found that 7 percent, or 35 heart attacks, occurred when the patient was involved in shoveling snow. From a medical perspective, 7 percent is considered a significant number. It should be noted that this number could be higher, since not all records indicated the activity the patient was engaged in at the time of the heart attack.
Baranchuk and his team believe that there are four primary factors which make shoveling snow such a high risk activity for your heart:
1. Temperature. Cold air is known to trigger heart attacks. This is primarily because the cold air causes blood vessels to constrict, making it more difficult to pump and circulate the blood.
2. Start-and-stop exercise. While shoveling snow is most definitely exercise, researchers indicate that it’s the wrong kind of exercise to be heart-healthy. Shoveling falls into the category of start-and-stop, which is more detrimental to your heart than exercise which requires continuous motion such as running.
3. Time of day. More heart attacks occur in the morning than at other times of the day. Unfortunately, morning is also the prime time of the day for snow shoveling as people dig their cars out to make the morning commute to work.
4. Warm-up. Pre-exercise warm-up is important to heart health and most do not take the time to engage in warm-up activities prior to shoveling snow.
In addition to the above, researchers also found that gender played a factor in influencing who was at risk for suffering a heart attack while shoveling snow. Men were more likely to suffer a heart attack while shoveling snow than women.
Thirty-one of the 35 snow-shoveling heart attack patients were men. Two additional risk factors were also identified by researchers as increasing the risk of heart attack while shoveling snow -- family history and smoking.
Twenty of the 35 patients were found to have a family history of premature heart disease. In addition, 16 patients were found to be smokers.
Shoveling snow is no longer a daily part of my winter life as I’ve long since migrated permanently back to warmer climates. But, for those still faced with this daily chore during winter months, researchers advise taking steps eliminate risks if possible.
Dress warmly to help eliminate the effect of the cold temperature, shovel at a different time of the day rather than early morning if possible, and warm up before shoveling the snow.
If you have known heart problems or other risk factors, consider enlisting help or getting someone else to take on the daily task of shoveling snow.
Sources:
Tom Spears. It's true: Shoveling snow bad for heart. Postmedia News, National Post. 25 Nov 2011. http://www.nationalpost.com/true+Shovelling+snow+heart/5765156/story.html
Queen's University (2011, November 23). The scoop on the dangers of snow shoveling. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 6, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111123133518.htm
Study confirms anecdotal info: Shoveling is bad for your health. 24 Nov 2011. Health Zone.
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/1092016--study-confirms-anecdotal-info-shovelling-is-bad-for-your-health
Reviewed December 7, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith