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Heart Health
Winterize your heart health
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Take steps to thwart the seasonal challenges that can jeopardize your heart.
Are you preparing for winter? Perhaps you’re retrieving heavy coats from their summer slumber, getting a check-up for your home’s furnace, and stocking up on road salt for snowy days. You might also add your health to the list of items to be "winterized," especially your heart, which faces increased risks during the winter. In addition to the basics — eating a healthy diet, doing moderate-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking) for at least 150 minutes per week, and getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours per night) — take the following steps to protect your heart.
Stay up-to-date on vaccinations
Make sure you get this year’s influenza (flu) shot and any recommended COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters. Flu and COVID surge in the winter, and both can harm your heart. "You can develop cardiovascular problems after COVID, even if you don’t have any heart disease risk factors," says Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist and editor in chief of the Harvard Heart Letter. "And while the flu increases your risk for a heart attack, our research has shown that getting a flu shot is associated with significantly reduced heart attack risks — as much as 45%."
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About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
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No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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