Listen: Brits being encouraged to “scare responsibly” this Halloween

As the nation adjusts to life after lockdown, one of many things Brits are looking forward to this October is getting
back to trick or treating, and other Halloween celebrations. However, as exciting as this day can be for some, the
nation is being warned that as a result of missing out on the annual fright fest last year due to the pandemic, the
UK is set to experience it’s most terrifying October 31 st in history this year.

However, with Halloweener’s expected to ramp up their scare tactics, there is huge concern that this could be really
dangerous and, leading Harley Street cardiologist, Dr Ravi Assomull, is warning that scaring can, in extreme cases
lead to death. Dr Ravi explains that when humans become scared or stressed the bodies natural responses lead to
increased heart rate and places stress on coronary arteries which can potentially cause heart attacks or unstable
heart rhythms.

As a result Dr Ravi has teamed up with M&Ms to encourage Brits to ‘Scare Responsibly’ this year and have
provided a range of top tips for Dos and Don’ts this Halloween to show people how to scare responsibly. This
includes not jumping out at people which is a real BPM heart raiser, not going over the top with scary costumes
and making sure you’re always recognisable. A dedicated hotline is also being launched in a bid to help people
swap scares for cares this Halloween.

Aston spoke to cardiologist Dr Ravi Assomull.

Photo by David Menidrey on Unsplash