OK, I'll admit it, I don't watch sports on TV. Please do not throw things at me because of that for I shall be frightened and sad. However, and in the article I'm about to reference, they do say that non-sports fans won't "get it." They're right. I don't. Yet, I shall venture tenuously into the world of the avid enthusiast.
According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, out of shape people who get emotionally invested in the results of sporting events increase their chances of having a heart attack. The article, which I found in the San Francisco Chronicle, is based on a study which included 4,279 patients who were devout soccer fans in Germany. (I know, I know, soccer fans are in a league of their own; but let's admit it, so are some American football fans.) Anyway, on the seven days when their team played, the overall number of cardiac emergencies was more than double the norm. For men, it tripled.
From the article: Dr. David Jerrard, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland, said that some men do put off seeking emergency treatment if they're watching a game. On a typical Super Bowl Sunday, "The number of patients waiting to be seen dries up dramatically," Jerrard said. But delaying that visit to stick with a sportscast is a bad idea, especially for people with a history of heart trouble, he says.
I dunno, maybe it's me. I don't mean to be unfeeling or unsympathetic but I picture some devout New England Patriots fan collapsing in pain on the floor, clutching his chest. His wife, shocked and concerned, comes to his rescue,
"Honey, what's wrong? What can I do?"
Gasping and grunting, he says, "Hand me the remote, I need to turn up the volume, I can't hear the play-by-play over my the pounding in my chest."
The article goes on to remind people to take extra care of themselves on Super Bowl Sunday and follow these steps:
Take medications as prescribed
Avoid tobacco smoke and fatty meals.
Get plenty of sleep the night before.
Don't over-exert yourself physically.
If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to one drink for a woman and two for a man.
Try "not to get too angry with the refs.
I might want to add, "Put things in perspective and get a life." But, as I stated, I'm not a big fan.
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