M’sians Beware: Heart Attacks In The Morning & Last Phase Of Sleep Are The Most Dangerous

One of the most commonly overlooked causes of sudden death are by heart attacks. With the recent sombre news of Ashraf Sinclair’s passing despite his healthy and active lifestyle, many have begun to ponder what puts people at risk of being diagnosed with a heart attack. While public assumption links the worst heart attacks to the end of stressful workdays, that’s not necessarily always the case.

According to Public Health Malaysia’s Facebook page, the most dangerous time for a person to get a heart attack is early in the morning and during the last phase of sleep.

In fact, a group from Harvard studied this estimate and found that the extra risk of having a myocardial infarction, or heart attack, between 6 a.m. in the morning till noon is about 40%, following reports from Time.

The increased risk is due to the fact that during this time, your cortisol hormones that are secreted by adrenal glands increase, which means that your blood pressure, sugar levels and heart rate all increase as well. 

When this happens, your body requires more oxygen thus causing the narrowing of blood vessels, including those in your heart. The morning is also prime time for the particles in your blood to stick themselves on the wall of your blood vessels, further congesting your blood flow right when your body needs oxygen.

But this is just one factor to the many other aspects that put you at risk of having a cardiac arrest. For instance, those with high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking habits and individuals that particularly lead stressful, sleep-deprived lives have double the chances of getting a heart attack than others.

Look out for the symptoms below and be aware if those around you begin to exhibit any of these signs. Immediate detection and treatment could save lives.

Stay informed and healthy, guys!

Also read: Health Company CEO Gives Speech About Health & Longevity, Suffers Heart Attack & Dies