Snow Shoveling Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
by Jennifer Bunn, RNShoveling snow is one activity that is not for the faint of heart. Anyone older than the age of 50 who has heart disease and shovels snow may be at risk of suffering a heart attack. Studies have demonstrated that heart attack and sudden death rates increase following a blizzard.
Experts cite the following reasons why shoveling can be harmful to some. A shovel full of snow may weigh as much as 15 to 16 pounds. Men in good health who have been studied while shoveling snow are found to have equaled or surpassed the heart rates achieved through maximal exercise testing. Coupled with breathing cold air, which causes the heart’s blood vessels to constrict, this too-rapid heart rate can lead to a heart attack. In addition, people who are shoveling may not be aware that they are in trouble, as they are focused on the activity and not on related symptoms, such as shortness of breath or pain in the chest or jaw.
Anyone middle-aged or those with heart disease should not shovel snow, state experts. Instead, they encourage those at risk to find alternatives to shoveling the snow themselves, such as hiring a neighborhood teen to do the job.
