Running is a popular form of exercise for many people, and quite a few people are accustomed to going out for a run every morning. However, whenever reports of “sudden cardiac death of a morning runner” appear in social news, it makes people feel uneasy: Is morning jogging really safe? Do people with heart disease have to give up running? As winter approaches, is there an optimal time for running? Today, we will answer several common questions from the perspectives of scientific research and medicine.
Is running exercise good or not
Many people may have doubts: If one persists in morning jogging every day and feels physically better than the average person, how could it still lead to sudden death? In fact, systematic reviews and large-scale cohort studies have shown that people who persist in exercise (including running) for a long time have a significantly lower risk of sudden cardiac death than those who sit for long periods.
Health: Does Morning Jogging “Stab” the Heart? When running in winter, it is necessary to calculate the time accurately
That is to say, exercise itself protects the heart. So, what about those who are “knocked down” by morning jogging? The root cause of sudden death due to morning jogging is not the running itself, but rather it is triggered by the combination of underlying heart disease, the high-risk physiological state in the early morning and intense exercise. Studies show that the peak periods for sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction are mostly between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. People who engage in physical activity in the morning (especially early morning) have a cardiovascular death risk about 1.5 times higher than those who do so at noon, as this is a critical period when blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormones and platelet activity in the human body rise.
Running is a double-edged sword that offers both long-term protection and short-term risks to the heart. Morning jogging is not unsafe; rather, it tests the scientific nature of one’s exercise habits more. As long as the intensity and method are well controlled, morning jogging is safe for the vast majority of healthy people. Based on scientific assessment, a reasonable running time and appropriate exercise intensity are the best running methods to protect the heart.
These factors plant landmines for the heart
The early morning is a peak period for cardiovascular events. After getting up in the morning, the excitation of the sympathetic nerve increases, blood pressure and heart rate rise, and blood viscosity and coagulation activity increase. This is the peak period for cardiovascular events. If one engages in overly intense exercise at this time, the risk is even higher.
The benefits of overworking exercise are not necessarily the more the better. After reaching a certain intensity, the benefits will gradually decrease. Reaching 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week can significantly reduce the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Long-term extremely high physical activity, with age, can accumulate coronary artery calcification and increased plaque load, and cause myocardial remodeling, fibrosis and arrhythmia.
Cold air in cold weather can cause peripheral vascular constriction, elevated blood pressure, sympathetic excitement, increased blood viscosity and coagulation activity, and lead to coronary artery spasm. Morning jogging in a cold environment can superimpose the risks of “cold stress” and “exercise-triggered”, increasing the possibility of acute myocardial ischemia or triggering malignant arrhythmia.
Many middle-aged or older people have undetected coronary atherosclerosis. During intense exercise, the oxygen consumption of the myocardium increases sharply, which can easily trigger acute myocardial infarction or fatal arrhythmia.
Hereditary heart diseases such as long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, catecholamine-sensitive ventricular tachycardia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, etc., although patients have no symptoms in daily life, intense exercise may induce malignant arrhythmias.
Can one still run if they have a heart problem
Can people with underlying heart diseases not run? Of course not, but one must pay attention to the way. Exercise is an important part of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with heart disease. The correct way is more important than whether one runs or not.
People with risk factors for heart disease (such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, family history of coronary heart disease, smoking, etc.) and those with clear heart disease (such as coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, heart failure, etc.) are recommended to engage in exercise under medical supervision after being evaluated by a cardiologist. Moderate-intensity exercise is not only safe but also can improve the prognosis of patients with heart disease. When this type of people are exercising, they need to pay special attention to the following details
Under the guidance of a cardiologist, evaluations such as electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise tests are conducted to clarify the function and condition of the heart.
Choose moderate-intensity aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, jogging and cycling, and accumulate 150 minutes per week.
Keep the intensity of your exercise within the range where you can speak without getting out of breath.
Warm up for 10 minutes before exercising and stretch for 5 to 10 minutes after.
Try to choose places with many people and equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for exercise.
Attention! This group of people is not recommended to engage in marathon races, long-distance running on an empty stomach in the early morning in winter, or high-intensity interval training in the early morning without assessment.
Keep a good “schedule” for healthy running
From the perspective of heart health, it is important to choose a scientific running time.
For healthy people, it is best to go running from noon to afternoon, approximately from 11:00 to 17:00 every day. This is a relatively better time period. If you can’t run in the middle or afternoon due to your life or work schedule, habits or weather conditions, as long as you warm up thoroughly and at a moderate intensity, you can still run in the morning or evening, which is still safe and effective.
Be sure to avoid direct high-intensity running in the very early morning (such as before sunrise and around 5 a.m.), as cardiovascular sympathetic activity may be higher at this time, body temperature is still low, and the vascular/coagulation system may be in a more “fragile” state.
People with underlying heart diseases or cardiovascular risk factors are advised to go running from noon to afternoon or in the evening. At this time, body temperature, blood pressure, and the muscle/heart adaptation mechanism are in good condition, and the cooling load is relatively low.
Try to avoid running in the early morning, especially when it’s just dawn or the temperature is low. Such people can first be evaluated by a doctor and consider exercising indoors or in a gym. At all times, the warm-up time must be longer and the initial intensity should be milder. Before exercising, it is necessary to do sufficient warm-up activities for 10 to 20 minutes and replenish an appropriate amount of water, such as walking in place, lifting knees, and stretching the shoulders. After exercising, relax and stretch for 5 to 10 minutes.
In the cold season of winter, it is recommended to avoid running in the early morning when it is the coldest and the wind chill index is the lowest, such as when the temperature is below zero degrees Celsius and the wind is strong, making the perceived temperature very low.
If you want to go running, you can choose the period after noon when the temperature rises or do it in an indoor environment. If you really have to set off in the early morning, you must warm up longer, dress in layers (warm + sweat-wicking), choose a low-intensity start, and always pay attention to any physical discomfort (chest pain, palpitations, dizziness). Dark weather, low temperatures, strong wet winds, and slippery floors increase the risks. It is advisable to consider changing to indoor running or postponing the time.