Many people experience anxiety on the Sunday night before returning to work on Monday. For decades, health professionals believed that unexpected death and cardiac arrest were more common on Monday mornings. This increased risk was thought to be due to increased cortisol, the stress hormone, as people started their work week. Increased cortisol levels can drive up heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels. 

However, Monday mornings are no longer the prime time for cardiac arrest! Due to the increased pace and pressure of our current work world, the risk of cardiac arrest has expanded to anytime of the day or week. A recent study conducted by Heart Rhythm suggests that the change of cardiac arrest frequency is more common due to stress occurring consistently through out each day. 

“We now live in a fast-paced, ‘always on’ era that causes increased psycho-social stress and possibly, an increase in the likelihood of sudden cardiac arrest,” the study’s lead investigator Dr. Sumeet Chugh, a professor of medicine and medical director of the Heart Rhythm Center, Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, said in a statement.

Being a diabetes educator can be challenging. It is important for us to heed this warning and remember to manage our stress through out the week. Please enjoy our FREE Mindfulness and Compassion in the Diabetes Encounter webinar. Heather Nielsen, MA, LPC, CHWC will provide diabetes educators with helpful hands-on strategies to incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion into our daily lives and professional practice.

To learn more: “Always Stressed: Cardiac Arrest No Longer Peaks on Monday Morning”  by Healthline

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