What to watch out for during the week ahead...

Research has found Monday mornings are the peak time for strokes and serious heart attacks - due to the way the stress hormone cortisol spikes at the start of the new week after the weekend. So how do the days of the week affect your health?

- Tanith Carey takes a look

MONDAY

Serious heart attacks are more likely to happen on Monday than any other day. A study of more than 10,000 Irish heart patients over five years found that the most potentially fatal kind of heart attack - a segment elevation myocardial infarction - is 13% more likely to strike today.

And it's most likely to hit in the morning, often within a few hours of waking between 6am and 10am. The same Monday morning effect has been found with strokes, according to a 40-year longitudinal study, with some research finding they are a third more likely to happen on this day.

Cardiologists believe possible reasons include disruption of sleep patterns after the weekend, and the rise in stress hormone cortisol, which rises in the morning to wake us. According to cardiologist Dr Jack Laffan, who led the 2023 research at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust: "It is likely to be due to the stress of returning to work. Increased stress leads to rising levels of cortisol, which is linked to a higher risk of heart attack."

And there's another reason to dub this day Blue Monday. A BMJ study of suicide figures last year, covering 50 years across 26 countries, found rates were 15-18% higher on Mondays, compared to any other day. Researchers believe this may be down to increased negativity when an event, like a weekend, doesn't live up to expectations as well as rising anxiety about returning to work.

However, Monday is also the most popular day for smokers to decide to kick the habit. A four-year study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2014 found internet searches for advice on quitting were 25% higher on this day than any other.

TUESDAY

Despite all of that, Monday is NOT the most challenging day.

Researchers at the London School of Economics monitored the mood swings of 22,000 people over two months, via an iPhone app, and found Tuesday was the most difficult.