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Holiday stress could land you in the emergency room

The holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year— but that stress could land you in the emergency room if you aren't careful.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year— but that stress could land you in an emergency room if you aren't careful.

"The holidays, as much as we enjoy them, are also a time of stress for our patients," said Dr. Rawle Seupaul, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine with UAMS.

He explained that stress can have negative impacts on your health, and could lead to someone making a trip to the emergency room.

"They may have some financial difficulties, or they may have trouble connecting with family members, or they may have lost a loved one," Dr. Seupaul said.

During the holidays, he told us that celebrating with family and making sure things are picture-perfect is more of a focus for a lot of people.

As a result, their health usually gets put on the back burner.

"We do see patients delay care and then the other aspect of this, too, is that our clinics are closed over certain holidays that would otherwise be open during those days," Dr. Seupaul explained.

By that point, the only other option is to visit the emergency room.

"We tend to see those patients that might get into a little bit of trouble. So, for example, if their management of their diabetes is difficult, and they miss a couple of days where they overeat," Dr. Seupaul said.

He added that the ER is busier during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

On average, the emergency department treats around 170 patients a day.

The Monday following Thanksgiving, he said, nurses and doctors at UAMS saw well over 200 patients.

"Our mental well-being and our ability to cope with stress are important. It modifies our body's ability to respond to things like infection," Dr. Seupaul added.

His best advice during what can be a stressful time for some people is to plan ahead.

Make sure you have your medications refilled and can see a doctor before their office closes for the holidays.

Your health, he added, should be met before your family's needs.

"We'll see plenty of patients over the holidays that come to us because they've been out of their medications or they're visiting from out of state, and they forgot to get a key prescription," Dr. Seupaul said.

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