You possibly know from experience that winter brings a surge in colds and flu. But did you know winter is also the period for heart attacks?

Frigid air causes blood vessels to constrict as the body try to prevent heat loss, said Dr. Holly Andersen, the director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Dr. Holly Andersen said "This is a natural response that can also put people with heart conditions and those involved in strenuous exercise at greater risk of having a heart attack."

The narrowing raises blood pressure and may possibly reduce oxygen flow to the heart.

Combined with a strenuous activity, such as shoveling snow, this can sprain the heart, triggering a heart attack in those at risk.

Symptoms of a heart attack may possibly include pain, discomfort or a squeezing sensation in the chest, ache in the arms, back, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, nausea or a cold sweat, according to the American Heart Association. Although women may also experience pain, they're more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting and jaw or back pain.

A heart attack can be mistaken for a pulled muscle, so take any post-shoveling symptoms seriously.

To lessen your risk of winter-time heart trouble, Anderson has these suggestions:

. Do not jump out of bed and get right to shoveling your driveway. Limber up by stretching or walking before you start.

. Dress properly. Wear windproof and waterproof outer garments and place a scarf over your mouth and nose to warm up the air before you inhale it in and wear layers. Bundling up will help keep your body heat.

. To stay away from overexertion, try the less strenuous technique of pushing the snow with the shovel rather than lifting it. And, take frequent breaks - shovel for 15 minutes, and then rest for 15.

. If you are over the age of 50 and are overweight, sedentary, smoke or have had a heart attack, consult a doctor before shoveling snow. You may want to rent a local teen-ager to do the job for you.

Labels: More Number Of Heart Attacks In Winter