Adventure sports and heart health: There is a link. © Shutterstock
Despite our fast-paced lives and the chaos we live in, many seek a break from the grind by taking up adventure sports and as a result, there is a rise in the incidence of individuals training hard at gym or home sometimes without any supervision. Here Dr Pratik Soni, Cardiologist, Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central tells us why people who engage in extreme sports are also vulnerable to heart diseases or sudden cardiac death.
Extreme or adventure sports are those that involve speed, heights etc., and high level of physical exertion. The iron man challenge, marathon running, motor racing, skiing, mountain biking, white water rafting etc. are just a few of the examples of extreme sports. Such activities are known to induce an adrenaline rush , which may be described as a boost of energy. Adrenaline is a hormone that helps our body act quickly in response to stressful stimuli. The effects of adrenaline on the body are that it makes the heart beat faster, increases blood flow to brain and muscles and stimulates the body to generate sugar to use as fuel. While this response is a protective mechanism in many instances, it is important, for extreme sports athletes especially, to understand the stress and learn techniques to effectively manage the response.
The reason behind this is that extreme sports are associated with high level of risk and continuous biological changes in the body can damage blood vessels, increase blood pressure and raise the risk of heart disease and/or stroke. We keep hearing stories of famous extreme athletes/sportspersons who die, quite often during the sporting activity. Such individuals undergo gruelling training in order to prepare the body for the activity. This makes us think, how safe is the growing trend of such activities? Is it worth taxing the body to the extent that it gives up on us, quite often at an early age? asks Dr Soni.
Here s a gist of what happens when we train for extreme sports
It is important that we understand the pros and cons of vigorous training and seek medical advice prior to and after such activities. There is a condition called athlete s heart wherein rhythmic disturbances and rupture of plaques in the heart may occur due to intensive training. Also, there may be an exacerbation of pre-existing chronic inflammation and spread of toxins due to extreme exertion. Overstretching mechanisms of the body, including the functioning of the heart, will lead to overload and subsequently health hazards such as cardiac arrest and even death.
There was an assumption that, unlike muscles in the limbs, heart muscles do not get tired by exercise. However, it is now known that with hours of extreme exercise, the heart also gets worn-out, thereby increasing the chances of suffering from cardiac conditions. There may be scars (fibrosis) in the heart due to biological changes. While, the scars may gradually heal with time, in cases of continuous exertion, it could lead to deleterious outcomes. Muscle tissue that has scars has stretched and hardened and may not contract any longer. A well-known researcher in this field has described the condition of extreme athletes as The hearts actually looked quite sick, but they rebounded quickly-within days they looked healthy-however, a pause was observed .
The silver lining
All is not negative, though. Participation in extreme sports can help create profound and positive changes in life and the way we handle stress. Extreme athletes generally have good knowledge of their physical and psychological incapacities and respect the limits of their bodies. Nonetheless, it is important to be extremely aware of changes in breathing patterns (breathlessness), dizziness, chest pain, nausea before, during and after the activity and seek immediate medical attention in order to prevent the occurrence of unfortunate incidents.
