Heart healthStress relief

6 surprising causes of heart attacks

Learn how the weather, stress, or strong emotions can affect your heart health.

Jan, 2026
LearnCardiologyHeart attack6 surprising causes of heart attacks
Slide 1
Environmental Issues
Winter Chores
Divorce
Stress, Anger, And Anxiety
Exercising Too Hard
Strong Emotions About Sports
Know the Signs

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Slide 1

Each year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack. That’s one person every 40 seconds. 

You may know that smoking, lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet high in salt and saturated fat (which is solid at room temperature), can hurt your heart. But you might be surprised to discover how some other factors—like climate change, your relationships, and even strong emotions to sports—can increase heart attack risk.

Here’s what you should know about some surprising causes of heart attacks, plus proven ways to help keep your heart strong and healthy.

Written byTaylor Dahl.
Medically reviewed byAnn Wendling, MD, MPH.December, 2023
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Facts. Page last reviewed May 15 + 25
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Facts. Page last reviewed May 15, 2023.
  2. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Climate Change. Page last reviewed July 21, 2023.
  3. Hadley MB, Henderson SB, Brauer M, Vedanthan R. Protecting Cardiovascular Health From Wildfire Smoke. Circulation. 2022;146:788–801.
  4. Wildfires may fuel heart health hazards: smoke exposure increases cardiovascular risks. American Heart Association. June 7, 2023.
  5. Vuorio A, Budowle B, Raal F, Kovanen PT. Wildfire smoke exposure and cardiovascular disease-should statins be recommended to prevent cardiovascular events? Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023 Sep 14;10:1259162.
  6. de Bont J, Jaganathan S, Dahlquist M, et al. Ambient air pollution and cardiovascular diseases: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. J Intern Med. 2022 Jun;291(6):779-800.
  7. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Control Regulations. Page accessed September 18, 2023.
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Protect Yourself from Air Pollution During Physical Activity. Page last reviewed October 22, 2019.
  9. Fares A. Winter cardiovascular diseases phenomenon. N Am J Med Sci. 2013 Apr;5(4):266-79.
  10. Northwestern Medicine. Your Heart In Winter. November 2022.
  11. Dupre ME, George LK, Liu G, et al. Association between divorce and risks for acute myocardial infarction. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2015 May;8(3):244-51.
  12. Zhu C, Tran PM, Leifheit EC, et al. Association of marital/partner status and patient-reported outcomes following myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Heart J Open. 2023 Feb 28;3(2):oead018.
  13. Smith TW. Intimate Relationships and Coronary Heart Disease: Implications for Risk, Prevention, and Patient Management. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2022 Jun;24(6):761-774.
  14. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Bane C, Glaser R, Malarkey WB. Love, marriage, and divorce: newlyweds' stress hormones foreshadow relationship changes. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2003 Feb;71(1):176-88.
  15. Mostofsky E, Maclure M, Tofler GH, et al. Relation of outbursts of anger and risk of acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol. 2013 Aug 1;112(3):343-8.
  16. Smeijers L, Mostofsky E, Tofler GH, et al. Anxiety and anger immediately prior to myocardial infarction and long-term mortality: Characteristics of high-risk patients. J Psychosom Res. 2017 Feb;93:19-27.
  17. Wrenn KC, Mostofsky E, Tofler GH, et al. Anxiety, anger, and mortality risk among survivors of myocardial infarction. Am J Med. 2013 Dec;126(12):1107-13.
  18. Titova OE, Baron JA, Michaëlsson K, et al. Anger frequency and risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Eur Heart J Open. 2022 Aug 6;2(4):oeac050.
  19. Chan B, Buckley T, Tofler GH. Emotional Stress and Physical Exertion as Triggers of Acute Myocardial Infarction. Am J Cardiol. 2023 Sep 15;203:285-287.
  20. Wen Y, Yang Y, Shen J, et al. Anxiety and prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis. Clin Cardiol. 2021 Jun;44(6):761-770.
  21. Selvi Y, Aydin A, Gumrukcuoglu HA, et al. Dream anxiety is an emotional trigger for acute myocardial infarction. Psychosomatics. 2011 Nov-Dec;52(6):544-9.
  22. Merschel, Michael. “‘And Just Like That,’ everyone wondered: Is exercise safe?” American Heart Association. December 15, 2021.
  23. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  High Blood Pressure Symptoms and Causes. Page last reviewed May 18, 2021.
  24. Parry-Williams G, Gati S, Sharma S. The heart of the ageing endurance athlete: the role of chronic coronary stress. Eur Heart J. 2021 Jul 21;42(28):2737-2744.
  25. Maturana MA, Glover EA, Raja J, et al. Are Die-Hard Football or Other Sports Fans at Risk of Cardiovascular Events? Curr Probl Cardiol. 2021 Mar;46(3):100743.
  26. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery. Page last reviewed July 12, 2022.

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