Cheering can cause serious he alth problems. The cheering of your favorite team causes a sudden pressure surge and an accelerated pulse, which is especially dangerous for fans struggling with coronary artery disease. In people with weaker hearts, cheering can even lead to a heart attack. Check what are the dangerous he alth effects of cheering and how to cheer in order not to harm your he alth.

Cheering can have a negative impact on he alth All because strong emotions arise while cheering for your favorite team. These are especially dangerous for people with a weak heart. With them, cheering may end up with a visit to the cardiology department, or even a heart attack.

Cheering can lead to a heart attack

While cheering for his favorite team, the fan is exposed to enormous stress caused by a sudden burst of adrenaline.

Increased levels of this hormone are detrimental to he alth. During a sudden release of adrenaline, the blood vessels and coronary arteries contract, which results in insufficient blood supply and oxygen supply to the heart.

There is also a sudden pressure surge in the fan and the heart rate in general. In addition, the pulse is accelerated, as during intense exercise.

This is especially dangerous for people suffering from high blood pressure or ischemic heart disease, as it can cause arrhythmias and even a heart attack.

There are known cases of patients who suffered acute angina pains after watching the match, which ended in a very acute, life-threatening coronary incident.

Besides, many fans watch matches, using stimulants: coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, in order to suppress their emotions and relieve them. This increases the risk of cardiovascular events.

Fans take to heart the cheering too much

The harmful effects of cheering on the heart have been proven by German scientists, whose research results have been published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" .¹

They compared the number of cardiac problems recorded in the Bavarian capital during the FIFA World Cup in summer 2006, with data from previous years and the weeks preceding and followingimmediately after the tournament. Acute cardiovascular events were assessed in 4,279 patients.

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It turned out that on the day of the match with the German national team, the risk of a heart attack or other cardiological problem increased threefold in German men, while in German women by 82 percent.

According to scientists, the most important thing is not the result of a given match, but its course. For example, the most cardiological problems were recorded on the day of the Germany-Argentina quarter-finals, which was decided in favor of Germany only in the pen alty shootout.

On the day of the match for third place with Portugal, which ended with Germany's 3-1 victory, the number of cardiac problems did not increase.

The negative impact of cheering on he alth was also confirmed by American scientists from the University of Southern California and Good Samaritan Hospital .²

The authors of the study - J. S. Chi and R. A. Kloner in their work comment on the results of studies published so far on the impact of sports events on the heart condition. The authors cite the results of observations from the Netherlands, where an increase in mortality due to coronary heart disease and men on the day that the country's football team lost an important match to France.

Also, British researchers recorded a 25% increase in the number of heart attacks immediately after the British lost their match to Argentina in 1998.

Meanwhile, the commented study reported a decrease in mortality from a heart attack among men on the day the French national team won the World Cup.

According to the authors of the study, this observation is particularly important because it was the first time that a reduction in mortality associated with a positive event was shown, while previous studies focused mainly on negative emotions.

The supposition that positive emotions might modify the risk of cardiovascular events is intriguing and deserves further investigation.

Fatal Pen alties

Cheering on not only exposes people at risk, but also young fans to heart problems.

The case of the 16-year-old is known! An Argentinean who died of a heart attack during the pen alty shootout competition in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Brazil, where his favorites competed against the Dutch .³

The match itself was not exciting. Pen alty shootouts brought a lot of drama. At the moment when the Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved the first shot of his opponents in the series of "eleven", the fan jumped up with joy, then fell to the ground. AfterAfter being transported to the hospital, the doctors found the death due to a heart attack.

In turn, at Euro 2016, Erik Reynaerts, the 50-year-old head of Belgian fans, died of a heart attack. It happened a few hours after Sunday's 1/8 final of the European football championship, in which Belgium defeated Hungary 4-0 (1-0).4

In the same year, at the beginning of the European football championship game between Ukraine and Northern Ireland, in the stands of the stadium in Lyon, an "Wyspiarzy" fan died of a heart attack. The 64-year-old man collapsed and despite immediate rescue action, he was not saved.5

In turn, a fan of the Stoke City club was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack during his beloved team's match against Liverpool. The man's heart failed to cope with the beautiful goal of Philippe Coutinho (23), which secured his team's victory.6

Cheering - how to protect the heart from the enormity of emotions?

People who have heart problems taking heart medications should use relaxation techniques. After consulting a doctor, they can even take a sedative, because such strong emotions can endanger their he alth.

Avoid s alty snacks, which increase blood pressure, and beer.

In the most exciting moments, it is recommended to go to another room, count to 10 or drink a glass of water - any relaxation method is good.

Important

What symptoms should you worry about while cheering?

  • chest pain, burning, stretching, pressure
  • wet sweats
  • suddenly fading
  • noise or dizziness
  • nausea

These are serious symptoms that indicate too high blood pressure or ischemia. The person with these symptoms should stop watching the game and calm down. If the symptoms persist after several dozen minutes, see a doctor.

Source:

1. Cardiovascular events during World Cup soccer, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18234752

2. Stress and myocardial infarction, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1767636/

3. Two Argentina fans suffer fatal heart attacks after country's semi-final win over the Netherlands, https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/two-argentina-fans-suffer-fatal-heart-attacks-after -countrys-semi-final-win-over-the-netherlands-9601859.html

4. Belgian fan club founder dies after Euro 2016 match against Hungary, https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/world-game/81520303/belgian-fan-club-founder-dies-after-euro-2016- match-against-hungary

5. Northern Ireland fan dies of heartattack during Euro 2016 win over Ukraine, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/16/northern-ireland-fan-dies-heart-attack-ukraine-euro-2016

6. Stoke City fan suffered heart attack as Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho scored last gasp wonder goal, https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/stoke-city-fan-suffered-heart-9825902

Category:

Cardiology