A racing "holiday heart" can spook you out

There are many holiday traditions that are not so good for the heart, but here's one that may cause a real scare: festive binge drinking can temporarily speed up your heart rate, causing a condition known as "holiday heart," according to an expert.

This condition can be very uncomfortable and frightening, explained Dr. Ajit Raisinghani of the University of California, San Diego. A normal heart rate is about 60 to 70 beats a minute, he said. "So if you're just sitting around, imagine if your heart is at 150, 160," the same heart rate that occurs when running at a maximum speed.

Although the condition typically resolves on its own without any life-threatening consequences, celebrating the holidays with too much alcohol "can have some more significance than just having a hangover the next day," Raisinghani noted.

In some instances, holiday heart may spook revelers so much they will go to the emergency room, Raisinghani said. Doctors can administer drugs to slow the heart rate, but it's mostly a matter of "waiting it out," he said.

For people with underlying heart problems, the rich meals of the holiday season can pose additional risks, he added. For instance, people with heart failure have to religiously watch their salt intake, and one slip-up at a family meal can spell trouble, Raisinghani noted.

People with heart disease typically take drugs to control their symptoms, the doctor explained in an interview with Reuters Health. However, if they overdo something, the drugs may not be strong enough to keep symptoms at bay.

For instance, people with weak hearts take drugs to prevent a buildup of fluids. If they have too much salt, which retains fluid, they may get some symptoms such as swelling and shortness of breath, Raisinghani noted.

"Diet becomes an important issue for people with underlying heart disease," he said.

For those thanksgiving celebrators with troubled hearts, Raisinghani recommended being especially vigilant about diet and salt intake, especially when eating food someone else prepared, which can have an unknown amount of salt.

Other tips to protect the heart during the holidays include:

-Don't totally eliminate unsaturated fats, found in olive oil, avocados and nuts, Raisinghani noted. Although fats are generally unhealthy, "there are certain fats which are actually good for you," he said.

-Schedule time to rest, do things you enjoy, and try to keep holiday-related stress at a minimum, he advised.

-Don't use the holiday as an excuse to abandon a diet, if you need to lose weight.

However, for people without underlying heart problems, indulging themselves on one or two days of the year isn't the end of the world, Raisinghani said. "Go ahead and enjoy yourself, as long as it's not a habit."