When are you most likely to suffer sudden cardiac arrest?

You may have heard before that you’re more likely to die from sudden cardiac arrest on a Monday morning than at any other time — and that used to be true.

I say used to be because a new study has given us a whole new window into when you’re most at risk and it’s one you’re going to want the details of.

But, first, let’s talk about what sudden cardiac arrest is, because it may not be what you think.

You see, most people believe that sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack are the same things but they’re not.

Sudden cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops beating, usually due to an electrical problem in your heart. It’s something that happens to 300,000 people a year in the United States — and it can kill you within minutes if you don’t get treatment. On the other hand, a heart attack is when the blood flow to part of your heart is blocked — but your heart never stops beating.

You’re at higher risk for sudden cardiac death if:

• You’ve had a heart attack in the past or have heart disease or clogged arteries
• You live with high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• You’re overweight or have diabetes
• You smoke or have more than two drinks of alcohol a day
• Or, just if you’re a man

Now that you know the difference between the two, let’s get to when you’re at risk.

A stress-filled life

The research out of analyzed the data from 1,535 patients who died from sudden cardiac arrest over a period of 10 years and it found something you may not be expecting.

You’re no longer at higher risk on Monday morning, or even any weekday morning because those peak times have disappeared.

Now, a sudden cardiac arrest is more likely to happen on any day at any time.

In fact, they found that out of all of the cases, only 13.9 percent died in the early morning hours between 6 and 10 am.

According to the researchers, there are likely several reasons to explain why more cardiac arrests happen outside of those times that used to be most dangerous — the primary one being stress.

After all, we now live a fast-paced life where we’re always expected to be “on,” around the clock — and right there with us is stress, increasing our chance of dying from sudden cardiac arrest, at any time.

Reducing your risk of sudden cardiac arrest

If there’s not a day or time then when you can simply be more careful, what can you do?

The first step is to focus on your heart health. You’re at higher risk if you have any of the risk factors listed above, like high blood pressure..

To do that, you probably know you need to exercise more (which also helps with stress), eat better (especially avoiding foods that increase your blood pressure) and maintain a healthy weight. Of course, if you haven’t already given up smoking, you should do that right away.

And if you think you can put off figuring how to de-stress your life, think again…

Time and again, stress has been shown to be a killer. You can’t always control what’s going on in your life, but you can work on coping mechanisms that just might save your life.

Meditation represents one of the most well-known methods of stress relief. Meditation can consist of simply sitting in a peaceful place (or even your desk if you’re stuck there) and calming your thoughts, focusing on controlling your breathing or mentally repeating a word to yourself over and over again. Research shows that these techniques produce physiological changes that can offset the harm caused by stress.

But there are some supplements you might want to consider as well, to give your heart health the extra edge it needs…

• The B vitamins, especially B6, B12, and Folate have appeared in studies to be protective against heart failure, heart disease, and stroke. The researchers surmised that B6 and folate may fight cardiovascular disease by lowering levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that’s affected by diet (we all know how hard it is to always eat right!). Plus, you often see B12 as part of a “stress complex” multivitamin.
• Vitamin K2, grape seed extract, and pterostilbene are all nutrients that promote healthy, pliable arteries.
• Calcium Disodium EDTA is one you may not have heard of, but you may have heard of EDTA chelation therapy. Calcium Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent, meaning it helps remove substances. Chelation therapy is used for lead poisoning and chelation using charcoal is how ERs deal with some accidental overdoses. Research has also shown it can help remove rogue calcium — the kind that can find its way to your arteries where it sticks to form plaque.
• Ashwagandha root. Because stressing less can ease the strain on your heart, this is a helpful choice. Ashwagandha is an ancient Ayurvedic herb that is reported to help with stress management. One way is by helping to balance your cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

No one’s got time for any kind of a heart attack. To lessen your risk of sudden cardiac arrest, focus on keeping your heart healthy and beating stress.