I LEARNED TODAY

OKAY. I LEARNED TODAY that heart attacks which occur in the morning, between 6am and noon, have potential for causing more widespread damage to heart tissues than those which occur at other times during the day. The researchers looked only at patients who suffered a specific type of heart attack called STEMI (ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction), during which blood supply to the heart is blocked for a relatively long period of time. Patients who suffered STEMI heart attacks in the morning were found to have 21% more dead heart tissue than those who had heart attacks between 6pm and midnight. Previous studies have shown that one’s risk for heart attack can be up to 40% higher in the mornings. Scientists theorize this is due to many factors, including a sudden increase in adrenaline (which increases blood pressure and heart rate), an acute increase in the work the heart needs to do, and more likelihood for blood clots to occur. All these factors may also contribute to the findings in this recent study