Christmas Eve is the most common day of the year to suffer a heart attack, researchers have found.

研究发现，平安夜是一年中最容易诱发心脏病的日子。

Academics compared the dates and times of 280,000 heart attacks to take place over 16 years in Sweden.

研究人员对比了瑞典16年来28万名患者心脏病发作的日期与时间。

They found heart attacks peaked at 10pm on December 24.

他们发现心脏病发作在12月24日晚上10点达到高峰。

They believe emotional stress and anxiety increases the risk - especially among over-75s or those already suffering from diabetes¹ or heart disease.

他们认为，情绪紧张和焦虑加大了发病风险，尤其是75岁以上或已经患有糖尿病或心脏病的人。

The scientists, writing in the British Medical Journal, said strategies should be developed to protect these people from stress in the run-up to Christmas.

这项研究发表在《英国医学杂志》上，科学家们表示，应当找到办法保护这些人群在圣诞前夕免受压力的影响。

The researchers, led by experts at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, found the risk of a heart attack rises by 37 per cent on Christmas Eve.

这项研究发现圣诞夜心脏病发病风险加大37%，它由斯德哥尔摩卡罗琳医学院专家牵头。

Christmas Day is slightly safer, with a 29 per cent increased risk, and on Boxing Day the risk is up by 21 per cent.

圣诞节当天略为安全一些，发病风险增加29%，而圣诞节后第二天的发病风险增加21%。

New Year’s Eve is no more dangerous than any other day of the year, but on New Year’s Day the risk rises again by 20 per cent.

新年前夜发病风险和平常一样没有变化，但是新年当天风险会再次升高20%。

The researchers wrote: ’Acute² experience of anger, anxiety, sadness, grief³, and stress increases the risk of myocardial infarction [heart attack] and thus possibly explains the higher risk observed in our study.

研究人员写道：“生气、焦虑、伤心、悲痛和紧张等剧烈情绪都会加大心脏病发作的风险，这就解释了我们在研究中观察到的风险升高的原因。”

It is possible that family members visiting relatives after a long time apart find them in a poor general condition and decide to admit them to hospital.’

“也有可能是家庭成员在长期离别后探亲访友时发现他们身体状况糟糕，因此决定送他们入院。”

But they added: ’If this were the case, we would expect to see a decline⁴ in the number of [heart attacks] in the weeks after Christmas compared with the weeks leading up to the holiday.’

但是他们补充说，“如果确实如此，圣诞节后的几周内心脏病发作的数量会比圣诞节前几周有所下降。”

Over the year as a whole, they found Mondays are associated with a higher risk - when heart attacks increase 10 per cent.

研究人员发现，从全年来看，周一患心脏病的风险较高，心脏病发作的风险会增加10%。

And 8am is the most dangerous time of day, with heart attack incidence⁵ going up 60 per cent.

早晨8点是一天中最危险的时候，心脏病发病率增高60%。

The researchers said ’stressful Mondays’ probably cause a rise in arterial blood pressure and heart rate.

他们说，“紧张的星期一”很可能导致动脉血压和心率升高。

On Christmas Eve, however, 10pm is most dangerous time, when the risk more than doubles compared to the rest of the day.

但平安夜的晚上10点是最危险的时刻，与当天其他时间相比，发病风险增大一倍。

The researchers stressed that Christmas Eve in Sweden is the main day of celebration - and therefore the time when heightened⁶ emotions will most likely reach their peak - so in Britain the risk might be higher on Christmas Day itself.

研究人员强调，瑞典的平安夜是庆祝圣诞节日的主日，因此高涨的情绪可能达到顶峰，同样道理，英国则可能是在圣诞节当天风险更高一些。

Unlike previous studies, no increased risk was seen during sports events or during the Easter period.

与此前的研究不同，体育运动或复活节期间，未见心脏病发作风险加大。