The impact of festivals on health is far more than just gaining weight丨Celebrate the Spring Festival in a healthy way (6)

It is easy to understand that dinner parties and social gatherings during holidays affect health; however, the mortality and disability rates of people during holidays have increased significantly, and the exact reasons are still not clear.

Have a healthy Spring Festival:

There is no real hangover cure in the world, and you can’t train yourself to drink more.丨Celebrate the Spring Festival in a healthy way (1)

Drinking non-stop, the holidays are more tiring than working, what to do? | Spend the Spring Festival in a healthy way (2)

What should I do if I get food stuck in my mouth? | Stay healthy during the Spring Festival (3)

What diseases are most common in emergency departments during the Spring Festival? These two are extremely dangerous | Stay healthy during the Spring Festival (4)

Gastroesophageal reflux, a holiday disease that should not be ignored | Spend the Spring Festival in a healthy way (5)

Written by Li Changqing (Doctor of Medicine, American-based gastroenterologist)

"Every festival brings 3 pounds of weight" is a worry for many people about the long-term impact of excessive eating and drinking during festivals on health. But in fact, major festivals have not only long-term effects on health, but also have a more direct "killer" nature.

Even in developed countries with the highest medical standards, the mortality and disability rates of the entire population will increase significantly during major holidays. Statistics show that the mortality rate of respiratory diseases alone increases by 5%-10% over the annual average during the two days of Christmas. The United States analyzed death certificates from 1979 to 2004 and found that the number of deaths in the two weeks starting from Christmas was more than 40,000 more than the average for the same length of time in winter. Christmas is therefore called the deadliest day of the year.

The medical community once believed that this phenomenon might be related to the decline in medical conditions during holidays. Although hospitals would keep staff on duty, there were still far fewer medical staff than usual, some equipment was temporarily shelved, and some surgeries were temporarily stopped. In contrast, no matter what holiday it is, it is artificially set and has nothing to do with the physiological and pathological laws of the human body. Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses do not take holidays either. Therefore, no matter how important the holiday or celebration is, people will still get sick.

However, it is difficult to say how much the increase in mortality during major holidays is related to the reduction in hospital staff on duty. If this is mainly due to the reduction in staff on duty, then there should be a significant increase in mortality on weekends, but studies have found that the situation is different on weekends and Christmas. Although there are fewer medical staff on duty on weekends, the impact on mortality is not obvious.

Christmas and New Year are in the winter of the northern hemisphere, so is the increase in mortality related to climate factors such as the temperature during those two weeks? Statistics deny this. And tracking the Jewish Passover (in spring every year), it is found that the mortality rate of Jews also soars around this festival, while other ethnic groups do not change during the same period.

Holidays are generally considered a time for relaxation, but many people find themselves more stressed and irritated during holidays than during work. So is this related to psychological stress? However, studies have found that people with Alzheimer's disease also have an increased mortality rate during holidays, and such patients are generally believed to be unable to feel holiday stress.

There is also the possibility that patients delay seeking medical treatment due to the holidays, thus causing delayed diagnosis and treatment. One reason is that most deaths during the holidays occur in the emergency room and on the way to the hospital. However, some analyses have found that the mortality rate of patients admitted to the hospital during the holidays is still higher than the average level after 7 days and one month - these patients are not considered to have obvious factors of delaying medical treatment due to the holidays.

The spike in sudden infant death syndrome during the holidays is likely related to drinking. Whether it is the mother or other caregivers of the baby, drinking will pose a greater threat to the baby's life. Other culprits for the onset of heart disease, diabetes complications, etc. may also be the bad habits brought on by the holidays - mainly overeating.

In addition, alcohol and traffic accidents during the holidays are also major health risk factors. According to the latest statistical report, in terms of holiday travel accidents, the "Memorial Day" holiday, known as the Qingming Festival in the United States, ranks first and is the holiday with the highest number of alcohol and traffic accident-related deaths.

There is no definite answer to explain why holidays have become a killer of health and even life. Although the reduction of medical personnel and delayed diagnosis and treatment may be one of the reasons, it is far from the whole story.

The above research data mainly comes from Western festivals. Currently, there is no detailed data on the mortality rate of relevant festivals in China, but there is no reason to believe that Chinese festivals will be an exception. Although it is still unclear why holidays are more likely to lead to sadness, based on the data, it is necessary for everyone to pay more attention to staying away from factors that harm health during holidays, ensuring sleep, avoiding binge drinking and overeating, avoiding drunk driving, and staying away from tobacco - especially those who have already quit smoking, they should be prepared to resist temptation during holidays.

References

[1] https://www.willed.com.au/guides/the-christmas-holiday-effect-why-do-more-people-die-during-the-holidays/#:~:text=Several%20studies%20suggest%20that%20there%27s,its%20underlying%20cause%20remains%20unexplained.

[2] https://www.autoinsurance.org/deadliest-holidays-to-drive/

This article is supported by the Science Popularization China Starry Sky Project

Produced by: China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.

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