Deadly heart attacks are more common on a Monday

I've read a bit into this subject before; Matthew Walker's book 'Why We Sleep'[0] discusses it at length.

A lot of it boils down to blood pressure. High blood pressure is a serious contributing factor to cardiovascular incidents (as well as a slew of other negative health risks), and getting a good night's sleep will help keep blood pressure down. This is also why the amount of heart attacks are up around 24% after daylight savings[1]; an hour less sleep means higher blood pressure means higher risk of heart attack (relative to any other 'normal' day).

I can definitely see how the same logic could apply to Mondays. Less sleep, more stress = higher blood pressure = higher risk of heart attacks.

[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18971502/

The important consideration here is that these people are on the cusp of death already, and this is typically just the straw that broke the camel's back. You don't get a heart attack from one bad night of sleep, of course, unless there are significant underlying conditions.

High blood pressure is often refereed to as the "silent killer". It's not like these individuals present sick/ill in their daily lives. Basically the only symptoms of high blood pressure are sudden traumatic events like Heart Attack and Stroke. If you meet one of these people hours before their heart attack you often wouldn't describe them as 'on the cusp of death'.

> If you meet one of these people hours before their heart attack you often wouldn't describe them as 'on the cusp of death'.

I disagree. It's not that the symptoms aren't there, but that they have become normalized due to obesity, smoking, etc. being commonplace. Shortness of breath, sleep apnea, feeling weak, upper body tension/pain, etc. are usually present for quite a while in most people before it finally happens. People don't check their blood pressure often enough despite it being so cheap and easy to do.

You’re wrong. A young person with borderline hypertension (130/80) can present in perfect health. Blacks for instance have a genetic predisposition to hypertension, obesity and diet don’t have to be involved. Besides genetics, other health conditions like insomnia or other medications can cause hypertension. Some people are just salt sensitive.

What makers can I check?

The #1 marker you should be checking is blood pressure.

Cholesterol, Fasting Insulin levels, and (if male) free Testosterone are other good ones. Cholesterol and Insulin should be checked by all adults annually, and BP should be checked at least annually. T isn't checked as routinely, but it's worth knowing where you fit and has an impact on your metabolics and the test isn't a big deal.