Here’s something to wake you up. A new report of University of Queensland predicts that people are more likely to suffer heart failure in the winter season.

A team of researchers from the Departments of Clinical Pharmacology and Cardiology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital examined the seasonal differences in hospital admissions and deaths in 2961 patients with chronic heart failure in South Australia over the period July 1994 to June 2004.

While speaking on this, Sally Inglis, a PhD student at the University of Queensland said, “After examining the results it was clear that heart failure-related hospitalisations peaked in winter and were lowest in summer. Similarly, deaths in those diagnosed with heart failure were higher in winter and lowest in summer.”

Inglis said that people over the age of 75 were most at risk from seasonal variations.

Fascinatingly, the research also states that January and February, the hottest months of the year, had the lowest hospitalisation and death rates. Besides this, the research adds that the pressure on hospitals in the winter is much larger when compared to that of summer season.

Inglis also pointed out that people at risk of heart problems need careful attention in the lead-up to the cold season.

"Patients and their health care providers need to be aware of this and take adequate preventative measures to reduce the risk," she said.