Since Medco and Express Scripts have come together as one company to manage your prescription drug benefit, the information Medco had on file for you is now available to the merged company.
Frigid winds make you shiver; dry air chaps unprotected lips and hands; and a lack of sunshine can even cause depression. Cold weather also puts immense strain on the heart. Low temperatures cause your blood vessels and arteries to narrow, restricting blood flow and reducing oxygen to the heart. Your heart must pump harder to circulate blood through the constricted blood vessels. As a result, your blood pressure increases. A sudden spike in blood pressure â especially when paired with outdoor exertion, such as shoveling a snowy sidewalk â can cause serious issues such as: 1  Unstable chest pain.
Blood vessels shrink when they cool down, so people who spend more time in cold climates have more exposure to weather that causes the vessels in the skin to contract. Averaged over time, this leads to slightly increased blood pressure. This change, though, is not enough to explain the entire phenomenon.