A new study seems to support a cautionary old wives' tale: Your heart is most vulnerable in the a.m. And sure, the time before work is hectic, but is your ticker really more vulnerable in the morning light?
Yes: Your body's circadian rhythm may actually contribute to your risk of having a heart attack, researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Oregon Health & Science University report. In the early hours of the morning, your levels of PAI-1--a protein that prevents your body from breaking down blood clots, a major contributor to heart attack and stroke--spike. And PAI-1 isn't the only thing at work, says Eric Topol, M.D., director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute. Your body also sees a natural surge in cortisol and adrenaline, taxing your heart.
And people with long commutes who are up before 6 a.m. may be hit by a double whammy. Your body's surge in PAI-1 and cortisol--beginning around 3 a.m. and lasting into the early morning--may coincide with the stress of making it to work on time if you're up in those hours.
Besides painting a clearer picture of cardiovascular disease--the No. 1 killer of men and women--these discoveries may eventually lead to new drugs targeting PAI-1 and other proteins, researchers report.
But for now, don't lay all the blame on your alarm clock. Your behavior plays a much bigger role in controlling your health than the time of day, he says. Focus on exercising five times a week for thirty minutes, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a diet filled with whole foods including lots of fruits and vegetables, and you likely won't need to worry about not making it through the commute, says Dr. Topol.
Plus, if you keep tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol, you could cut your risk of cardiovascular events in half, according to a study at the Medical University of South Carolina. In fact, simply shedding 10 pounds can shave off up to 10mm Hg from your BP reading--which is about a 7 to 10 percent drop, German researchers note.
And remember: Don't panic if your blood pressure reading seems a bit off. False positives can be common--in fact, some docs even do two readings for accuracy. And it can take up to six readings to accurately assess, says Dr. Topol. So if your numbers are usually normal and a reading is off, ask for a re-do.
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