Was Your Heart Racing During Monday Night's Ravens Game? It's A Common Reaction, One Health Expert Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The stress that comes with watching sports is natural, but with our Ravens, it just feels like your heart skips a beat.
All across social media, Ravens fans mentioned heart palpitations during Monday's overtime win versus Indianapolis.
From Brandi: "If I don't have heart palpitations during the 4th quarter of a Ravens game, did the Ravens even play a game?"
Even NFL agent Samantha Sankovich said, "This season could easily give me heart palpitations."
Dr. Drew Pate with LifeBridge Health said sudden adrenaline is related to the fight or flight response, genetically programmed from our ancestors.
"If you watch an entire game, and you're a really avid Ravens fan, and it's a close game back and forth, then your blood pressure and your heart rate will be elevated just like you're out walking or doing a lighter form of exercise," he said.
A study by The Canadian Journal of Cardiology said people's heart rates increased by 75% when they watched a hockey game on TV and by 110% in person.
The comeback win was one for the ages, and when Rodrigo Blankenship missed the field goal at the end of regulation, Baltimore went NUTS.
Ray and Trent Lepriol traveled from Bradenton, Florida to see the game.
"I was ready to go home crying if we lost that thing. Mixed emotions," Trent said. "I was ready to cuss out the guy who got the penalty who gave them into field goal range but he missed it and God gave us a shot."
"The excitement, the jubilation, the joy we felt was just incredible. Speechless," Ray told WJZ.
Dr. Pate added more.
"That kind of intensity can be viewed in a positive community way," he said. "It really shows an investment into our community, and those who represent our community, which is really what the Ravens and the Orioles and all the other professional teams represent."