Researchers are reportedly warning that blood clots and heart attacks can be triggered by cold weather.
As cold winter weather reaches many parts of the Western world, many forecasters are issuing weather warnings as the temperature drops.
However, cold weather can also have a surprising impact on your health, according to researchers.
They warn that during the cold weather people are more likely to suffer from serious conditions such as heart attacks or blood clots.
Even a small drop in temperature can lead to an increase in the number of people who suffer a heart attack, they say.
In a report published early this year, The Sun reported on some of the health dangers that can be triggered by the cold, including:
1. Blood clots
Sudden changes in temperature cause thermal stress for the body – which has to work harder to maintain its constant temperature.
In particular, research has shown this makes it more likely for people to suffer from dangerous blood clots during winter.
Study authors, from a hospital in Nice, France, suggested that respiratory tract infections more common in winter might make patients more vulnerable to blood clots.
They also suggested that chilly weather might make the blood vessels constrict, making it more likely that blood clots will form.
2. Heart attacks
People exposed to cold weather are more likely to suffer a heart attack, a recent study revealed.
Researchers from Sweden from Lund University in Sweden found that the average number of heart attacks per day was significantly higher when the weather was cold compared to when the weather was warm.
On a day-to-day basis, it translated to four more heart attacks per day when the average temperature was below zero.
It is thought the risk of heart attacks is higher in cold weather because the body responds to feeling chilly by restricting superficial blood vessels.
This decreases how warm the skin is and increases blood flow through the arteries.
The body also begins to shiver and your heart rate increases to keep you warm.
But these responses can add extra stress on your heart.
