The cardiologist spoke about the risk of getting a "festive heart" syndrome in the New Year

During long vacations, the risk of experiencing "holiday heart" syndrome increases. This is a complex syndrome associated with a violation of the heart rhythm while drinking alcohol. To stabilize the condition, medical intervention and even hospitalization are often required. Philip Kopylov, a cardiologist and director of the Institute of Personalized Medicine at Sechenov University, told about this in the new issue of the Izvestia podcast.

"A person wakes up the next morning and his heart starts to beat or even an irregular heartbeat. This is often associated with atrial fibrillation, a rhythm disorder where the heart beats irregularly," the doctor explained.

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The main rule that helps to avoid such a condition during the long weekend is moderation, Kopylov said.

"We understand that if you have ten days off, nine days off, you can behave as you want, and then try to collect yourself in one day. This very often leads to a similar syndrome, an increase in blood pressure, hypertensive crises, and cardiac arrhythmias," the cardiologist stated.

He also refuted the claim that a glass of cognac drunk before bedtime saves from insomnia, and noted that there is no safe dose of alcohol.

"Alcohol does not improve sleep, but, on the contrary, worsens its quality. It reduces the time and depth of sleep. It's not good for the person. Greetings to all hypertensive patients: alcohol does not relax or reduce blood pressure. All the stories about cognac, which dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure, turned out to be complete nonsense," said the guest of the podcast.

The day before, Dr. Brittany Weber, chairman of the Cardiology Committee for Women at the American Heart Association, said that chronic inflammation due to injury or infection increases the risks to heart health. It can lead to vascular damage, and later to a stroke or heart attack.