According to this somewhat light-hearted article, just getting out of bed in the morning may be the worst thing you can do if you're trying to avoid a heart attack.

There are a wide variety of events that can trigger an already susceptible heart to go into cardiac failure, including:

* Dehydration
* A bout of anger
* Strenuous exercise
* Infectious diseases, like pneumonia or the flu

Most heart attacks occur first thing in the morning upon waking, as your body releases stress hormones into your bloodstream to prepare your body to get moving. This rise may cause a cardiac event if your arteries are already sufficiently clogged with cholesterol-rich plaque.

Harvard Heart Letter July 2007

Live Science July 13, 2007

Dr Mercola's comments:

Many things could trigger a heart attack, but in order to prevent most cardiac events, you really need to start at the prevention stage, rather than trying to avoid everything that might trigger an attack.

A good place to start is to go through this checklist on How to Determine Your Cardiovascular Health, which includes both blood tests and simple do-at-home tests to help you determine if you're at risk of developing heart disease. About 20 percent of heart attacks go undetected, so checking your susceptibility is a good idea.

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

There are numerous ways for you to protect your heart naturally, at every stage of your life, so you lessen your risk of heart attack and heart disease. Here are the top recommendations.

* Boost Your Good Cholesterol and Lower Your Triglyceride Levels: Many people strive to reduce their cholesterol levels to protect their heart, but high levels of good (HDL) cholesterol are believed to protect your heart from disease. Meanwhile, high triglycerides are an incredibly potent risk factor for heart disease. In combination, high triglycerides and low HDL levels are an even bigger risk; this ratio is even more important to your heart health than the standard good vs. bad cholesterol ratio.

In fact, one study found that people with the highest ratio of triglycerides to HDL had 16 times the risk of heart attack as those with the lowest ratio of triglycerides to HDL. So while you strive to keep your HDL cholesterol levels up, you'll want to decrease your triglycerides. How? You can increase your HDL levels by exercising and getting plenty of omega-3 fats like those from krill oil. Triglycerides are easily decreased by exercising and avoiding grains and sugars in your diet.

* Get Enough Omega-3 Fats: Omega-3 fats (found in fish oil and krill oil) are extremely beneficial for your heart. Taking a high-quality omega-3 supplement regularly is one of the easiest ways to help promote your heart health.

* Get Your Iron Levels Checked: Iron is nature's rusting agent. If you have excessive levels in your body you are at risk of major oxidation, or premature aging. Excess iron will also increase your risk of heart disease. If you are a man, or a woman in menopause, you should get your iron levels tested and, if they're too high, take steps to reduce them.

* Keep Your Insulin Levels in Check: Elevated insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance, a major risk factor for heart disease. To keep your insulin levels where they should be, get plenty of exercise and follow my nutrition plan, which will automatically limit your intake of foods that raise insulin levels.

* Keep Your Mouth Healthy: Gum disease can trigger heart attacks, so make sure you keep your teeth, gums and mouth clean.

Simple Lifestyle Changes for Your Heart

Along with the tips above, these three simple suggestions will vastly improve your heart health:

* Exercise. It's more effective than any drug for treating heart disease and should be your first line of defense against heart attacks.
* Reduce your intake of grains, corn-based foods (and corn-syrup-sweetened beverages), potatoes and all sweets.
* Keep your stress levels under control using an energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

Related Articles:

20% Of Heart Attacks Go Undetected -- How Can You Check Your Risk?

How to Accurately Predict Your Heart Attack Risk

Most Common Cause of Heart Attacks

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Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease