Deadly heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday

Studies of health service records have revealed that the likelihood of a heart attack happening is 13 per cent higher at the start of the working week.

Experts believe that it is probably due to increased stress as working life resumes after the relaxation of the weekend.

Doctors at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust assessed data from more than 10,000 patients in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland who had been admitted to hospital between 2013 and 2018 with the most serious type of heart attack and found that cases spiked on a Monday.

Cardiologist Dr Jack Laffan, who lead the research, said: "We found a higher chance of having a serious heart attack on a Monday. This phenomenon has been described before across the Western world.

"It is likely to be due to the stress of returning to work. Increased stress leads to rising levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to a higher risk of heart attack."

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