Stressed out about your birthday? It might kill you.

New research on death days shows that we’re 14 percent more likely to die on our birthdays.

The researchers analysed 2.4 million deaths over a 40-year period. Results show there were 13.8 per cent more deaths on birthdays than might be expected compared with any other day of the year. The risk increased with age, with the figure rising to 18 per cent among the over-60s. Results for individual diseases show that there was an 18.6 per cent increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, and a higher risk of up to 21.5 per cent for strokes. There was also a 10.8 per cent rise in deaths among people with cancer.

So if you receive a heart-pounding shooter or action game for your birthday, best wait until the next day to play it.

[via the Independent]