AUSTIN, Texas — AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — Sunday night's Super Bowl LVIII will draw millions of eyes, but the excitement of one of the biggest sporting events can lead to health problems.
Surprisingly, emergency rooms tend to be a little quieter the day before or even the day of a big event like the Super Bowl, but perhaps emergency rooms start to fill up after the big day is over. Sho.
“I wasn't stressed at all because the Giants were pretty bad this year,” said Giants and Super Bowl III fan Lance Diorio.
Only two teams can make it to the Super Bowl, and Diorio's team wasn't one of them. But he knows the stress of any game and the reaction fans get when things don't go their way.
“In New York, it sucks when the Giants lose. The family is disappointed and everyone's mad for about a week. It's pretty bad,” he said.
Diorio will be one of the millions of players to watch Sunday's game, likely keeping the emergency room empty.
Experts say that the reason emergency medical technicians are seeing fewer patients may be because people are putting off medical care so they don't miss out on important matches.
“This is just like any other big event, like holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve,” says Dr. Fahmi Farah, a cardiologist at Bentley Heart. “If it's a big event like a big game, paramedics generally tend to be a little quieter because even people who have symptoms tend to put it off.”
While this may be true, Diorio says health comes first.
“No! If I had a serious health problem, I would go to the hospital and watch the game in the hospital,” he said.
Anger is one of the emotions that sports games evoke, but watching a tense game can also cause stress. That may be why the ER starts to fill up after big events.
Doctors liken watching a game like the Super Bowl to riding a roller coaster.
“It has a similar effect, because when we're in a high-stakes game, our stress hormones are really high, our adrenaline is pretty high, and all of these hormones basically increase our heart rate and increase our heart rate. , can raise blood pressure and increase stress, which is very high and stress is a trigger for things like heart attacks,'' Farah said.
Experts say studies show a 15% increase in hospitalizations after the 2022 World Cup.
“It's just a game!” Diorio said. “This is a football game, enjoy it.”
Doctors say older adults and people with past heart problems are more likely to experience health problems during stressful games like the Super Bowl.
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