Heart Disease and Stress

It is now commonly known that heart disease and stress are linked. Scientists and doctors know that stress can cause a number of health problems that can ultimately shorten your life, and reduce the quality of life you have left.

Heart disease isn’t actually one disease; it’s several different types of diseases that affect the heart including coronary artery disease, abnormal heart rhythms, vascular disease and other diseases that affect the heart. All of these can be exasperated by stress.

One of the most important things you can do to prevent and treat heart disease is to effectively manage your stress. Stress can cause heart disease through many different channels. Scientists aren’t sure what the exact reason why stress causes heart disease -- and makes existing heart disease worse -- and it could be due to a number of reasons.

One reason is that stress floods your body with many different hormones and chemicals, including the commonly mentioned cortisol. These chemicals and hormones may have an unknown cause of heart disease or affect other areas of your cardiovascular system – such as increase your blood pressure or cholesterol.

Another reason stress causes heart disease is because during times of stress, you are more likely to eat foods that are unhealthy for you, stop exercising, and you may even drink alcohol or smoke to escape your problems. All of these add to your health problems and can drastically increase the likelihood of you getting heart disease. Gaining weight whether due to stress or otherwise can also harm your health.

Are you described as “hot-headed” or do you “blow a gasket” easily? If you are the type to have a temper or get angry frequently over everything – like traffic or when people make minor mistakes – you will be more likely to have these minor stressors lead to heart disease or cause any existing heart disease to explode.

When you get angry or stressed do you feel your face get hot and turn red? Do you have veins that pop out on your neck or forehead? This is because when you get angry and stressed over something it causes your blood pressure to rise. If this happens frequently, you will cause damage to your cardiovascular system and can even trigger a heart attack.

The good news is that heart disease and stress can be prevented and managed by integrating simple stress reduction techniques through-out your day. One of the most important things you can do is change your outlook on life. Don’t let everything cause you stress. Learn to relax and let the little things go. Also be sure to take care of yourself by eating foods that are healthy for you and by exercising everyday.By realizing that you have control over your life and the stress that you feel, you can drastically change the way stress and heart disease affect you.Return from Heart Disease and Stress to Stress Health

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