Along with keeping spirits bright, some holiday songs can also help save lives – they’re the right tempo for CPR chest compressions.
Safety and health experts at British workplace product and supplies provider Direct365 recently revealed a list of Christmas songs that have a tempo of 100-120 beats per minute – the ideal range for CPR chest compressions during a cardiac arrest.
And yes, Virginia, Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms makes the list at 119 beats per minute. If we may …
What a bright time, it’s the right time
To check victims’ airways
Although CPR ideally involves administering rescue breaths to a victim, bystanders unable or unwilling to oblige can give hands-only or compression-only CPR. Experts recommend rescuers call 911 and then begin to push hard and fast on the center of the victim’s chest while waiting for help to arrive.
Other Christmas songs that could be a guide:
- Last Christmas by Wham! (108 bpm)
- One More Sleep by Leona Lewis (113)
- Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord by Boney M (113)
- Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid (115)
“Lifesaving skills like CPR and defibrillator training provide on-the-spot intervention that can increase a person’s chance of survival,” said Karl Bantleman, head of digital at Direct365. “Therefore, by knowing that one of your favorite Christmas songs has a rhythm of 100-120 bpm, this will boost people’s confidence in providing CPR.”
For Spotify users, the American Heart Association has created a playlist featuring more CPR-friendly holiday songs.
