Don’t let Halloween scare your heart health

Halloween season is a time for scary tricks and sweet treats. But people with heart conditions may need to take extra precautions before participating in fright nights. Baylor College of Medicine cardiologist and electrophysiologist  Dr. Mohamed Gabr explains what you need to know to keep your heart healthy during this spooky season.

Spooky, scary

Scary movies and haunted houses are popular Halloween traditions that make our hearts race. A scare or excitement triggers the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in speeding up heart rate, increasing blood pressure and constricting blood vessels. While this is generally harmless for most healthy individuals, people with heart conditions should be cautious.

“With a normal scare, the heart rate will go up and then it will come down,” said Gabr, assistant professor of medicine – cardiology at Baylor. “If someone is conscious that their heart has been beating fast for a long period of time, that’s something to be concerned about.”

Arrhythmias and other heart conditions may cause an abnormally high heart rate. Lightheadedness, shortness of breath or chest pain or tightness, along with an elevated heart rate, is a cause for concern.

“If you’re feeling dizzy or like you’re going to pass out, have a seat and make sure others around you know that you’re not feeling well,” Gabr said. “Call 911 for fainting, a racing heart for an extended period, chest pain or if your other symptoms aren’t going away. This is particularly important for people diagnosed with certain dangerous arrhythmias that can be triggered by a sudden scare.”

People who have known heart disease or coronary disease or anyone who has had blockages requiring stents or heart surgery should be more cautious about activities that can cause a sudden surge in adrenaline.

“For people with coronary disease, a sudden scare that increases the heart rate and causes constriction of blood vessels can be dangerous,” Gabr said. “If you or a family member has one of these conditions, be mindful of scary Halloween activities. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t just ignore it. A lot of times, that’s the body’s way of telling us something is wrong. Some of these symptoms can include difficulty breathing, nausea, profuse sweating and chest discomfort or pain.”

Sweet treats

Halloween parties and trick-or-treating offer up many opportunities to eat sweets and candy. While a few treats on one night are no cause for alarm, the bigger concern is what happens over time. Regularly eating too much sugar can contribute to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels, all of which strain the heart.

“Plaque and cholesterol build-up in the heart’s blood supply actually starts at a young age,” Gabr said. “Even though people suffer the impacts as adults, the changes start in the early years. It’s fine to enjoy some

Halloween candy, but it’s important for parents to make sure their kids are consuming sugar in moderation and building healthy habits for the future, including consuming natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables.”

Simple strategies can help families keep Halloween fun and balanced: let kids pick a few favorite treats to enjoy over several days, serve candy after a healthy meal and keep fruit on hand for snacking.