Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : April 29, 2020 7:01 PM IST
If you experience palpitations that keep intensifying over time, see a cardiologist.
We are middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and because of this almost all of us are today confined to our homes thanks to lockdown. Countries and regions across the world have imposed severe restriction on movement of people to make sure that there is social distancing. This is the best way to contain the spread of the virus and bring down the fatality rate, according to experts. In India too, we are under an unprecedented nation-wide lockdown. Many people are complaining of mental health conditions like stress and anxiety because of this. But this is a necessary measure if we want to overcome the COVID-19 virus.
In the middle of all this negativity, there is some good news. Experts report that hospitals are reporting less incidences of heart attacks. According to doctors from New York, there is almost a 70 per cent reduction in heart attacks since the start of the pandemic. Experts also say that there are now less heart attack patients in America, India, Spain and China. They attribute many reasons for this. There are many reasons other than the fact that most heart attack patients may be too scared to go to a hospital for fear of contracting the COVID-19 infection. Let us see what may be behind this positive outcome of lockdown.
One of the main reasons behind this may be because of less work-related stress. Since most people are working from home, there is an easier pace of work. People are more relaxed and the pressures of rushing to office every day, fighting traffic jams and attending high pressure meetings are no longer part of your working day. This goes a long way in bring down stress and high blood pressure levels, which often results in heart attacks.
It is a known fact that air pollution is one of the causes behind heart attacks today. The exhaust fumes of vehicles are not good for heart health. Thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown, pollution has gone down significantly. This may be a big reason for the fall in heart attack cases.
Thanks to the lockdown, you can no longer go out for dinner or order some junk food. The fear of catching the COVID-19 infection ensures that you eat your meals at home. You may also not have access to processed foods and unhealthy fried snacks that you may have occasionally indulged in when you are out of the house. And, home cooked meals are the best when it comes to your heart health.
We all know that a change in lifestyle can boost heart health. But because of the pressures of work, you may have put off making the required changes in your routine. Now, since you are confined to your homes for an extended period of time, to combat boredom, most of you must have taken up some form of activity like yoga, exercises and meditation. These activities help boost heart health.
