India, Oct. 16 -- Garba is an integral part of many Navratri celebrations, involving music, movement and hours of dancing. For many, this involves several consecutive evenings of physical activity that are very different from the rest of their evenings throughout the year, in terms of the stress they place on their cardiovascular system.

While people often associate heart disease with older age or an obvious lack of fitness, in reality, someone who appears fit and leads an active life may still have underlying cardiovascular risk factors. And during garba, the combination of sustained exertion, inadequate hydration and insufficient recovery can increase the strain on the heart, shared cardiologist Dr Ajeet Bana with HT Lifestyle.

"Durin...