With the global hit of "Avatar", consumers who have watched it all exclaim that it's "satisfying". However, after enjoying the audio-visual feast of the movie, some health issues may also arise. Be careful, as an overly stimulating movie can be too much for your heart to handle. An excessively intense film can increase the burden on the heart; even normal individuals may experience arrhythmia or even a sudden onset of heart disease. For those with heart disease, their condition may worsen.
In cinemas, flashing screens, intense and tense movie plots, as well as high-frequency surround sound systems can all trigger stress responses in the human body. Research shows that stress responses can cause a rapid increase in cortisol and adrenaline secretion, leading to arterial constriction and elevated blood pressure, which is very harmful to the heart. Moreover, those gripping fight scenes are enough to leave viewers who already experience slight arrhythmia quite affected.
Clinically, we've found that some patients, especially women, experience no issues in daily life, but when they suddenly encounter a physical or psychological stressor, they exhibit myocardial ischemia, showing changes similar to a heart attack, and may even develop heart failure. However, coronary angiography reveals nothing abnormal. We refer to these patients as having stress-induced cardiomyopathy. In European and American countries, these cardiac changes caused by mental stress and stress responses are called "broken heart syndrome."
For patients with cardiovascular diseases, being in a stressful environment is even more dangerous. Patients with coronary heart disease, upon seeing the tense parts of a movie, will experience a significant rise in adrenaline, causing sympathetic nerve excitation, vasoconstriction, and insufficient myocardial blood supply, leading some to experience myocardial ischemia. At the same time, reduced myocardial contractility may induce or exacerbate heart dysfunction. Hypertensive patients, when stimulated, will see a marked increase in blood pressure. "Noise is also a form of mental stimulation that can trigger stress responses, leading to hormonal system disorders, especially the strong noise in cinemas, which is highly unsuitable for heart disease patients."
Most movies nowadays last about an hour and a half, plus pre-show advertisements and waiting time, people often sit in the cinema for over two hours. To avoid missing any exciting scenes, many people suppress the urge to urinate, which can enhance the stress response. Another issue with cinemas is the enclosed environment with poor air circulation. Healthy individuals might feel stuffy after staying for a long time, while heart disease patients are more likely to experience oxygen deficiency, leading to myocardial ischemia and stress-induced blood pressure spikes.
When diagnosing and treating cardiovascular patients, we always emphasize the importance of changing lifestyle habits, such as maintaining a good mood, staying positive, avoiding tension, and adopting a low-fat diet. Additionally, we hope they try to avoid mental stress and stress responses, keeping emotions stable, especially avoiding watching intense movies or TV shows, and ensuring the TV volume isn't too loud.
Finally, Yu Danqing also suggests that if one experiences symptoms like accelerated heartbeat or palpitations while watching a movie, they should try to relax themselves, performing deep breathing exercises to alleviate the symptoms. It’s best to quickly leave the cinema and rest in a quieter, more ventilated area. If the symptoms cannot be effectively controlled, it's recommended to seek medical examination.