Stress and a Heart Attack: Is There a Connection? PART 1
People who experience a lot of stress have likely been told more than once in their lives that stress can kill them. Or, that stress can cut their lives short.
But can it really? Can stress lead to heart attacks or other issues that could be dangerous to your health?
Well, according to research, it can. Increased psychological stress is associated with cardiovascular health issues, including high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
Indeed, psychological stress may be as dangerous to your heart’s health as traditional cardiac risk factors, like:
- obesity
- high blood pressure
- smoking
- high cholesterol
- physical inactivity
This article will look at how stress can affect your heart and the connection between stress and heart attacks.
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How does stress affect your body?
Stress is not always a negative thing. In fact, it can be useful.
Short-term stress can give you energy to finish a project or meet a deadline. It can push you to perform better in a public speaking engagement. It can help you make a split-second decision, such as in a life threatening situation.
You can even feel stressed in happy moments, like a new marriage, a new home, or meeting new people.
But too much stress — and stress at times when you aren‘t in a threatening situation — can be dangerous to your overall well-being and your heart’s health.
Long-term (chronic) stress may be the result of ongoing worries about a job, a relationship, a health condition, or economic circumstances. It may present itself as:
- irritability
- depression
- anxiety
- rumination
- anguish
No two causes of stress are the same, and no two people will have the same experience with it.
Chronic stress can cause symptoms like:
- tense muscles
- low energy
- insomnia
- headaches
- upset stomach
Chronic stress may also leave you feeling not in control of your emotions or actions. You might have mood swings more frequently.
Stress also sets off the fear center of your brain. It tells your body that you are in fight-or-flight mode, even in everyday situations like working or driving a car. It sends a flood of cortisol, a stress hormone, into your body to “respond“ to the stress.
Over time, the increased levels of stress hormones can lead to a cascade of unwanted effects, such as:
- high blood pressure
- increased inflammation
- reduced blood flowto the heart
- a higher risk of heart attack and stroke
Can stress raise your risk of a heart attack?
Stress can affect many parts of your body, especially your heart and cardiovascular system.
A 2021 analysis looked at more than 900 patients with underlying but stable heart disease. The researchers wanted to see how people’s hearts and the blood flow to their hearts responded to both physical and emotional stress. Reduced blood flow to the heart can trigger heart attacks and other cardiovascular events
The study participants had standardized physical and mental stress tests and the impact of those tests on the blood flow to their heart was measured.
The analysis found that mental stress took a greater toll on the hearts of the participants during one or both of the study’s tests. The participants who were subjected to mental stress were also more likely to have a nonfatal heart attack or die of cardiovascular disease in the years following the tests.
In other words, stress takes a significant toll on your heart health, and it increases your risk of heart attack and stroke for years to come, too.
This analysis confirmed an earlier study of more than 24,000 patients in 52 countries. This study found that people who experienced a high level of psychological stress in the year before the study were twice as likely to have a heart attack in the 5-year follow-up period of the study.
Your brain’s impact on your heart
Among other things, research points to a region of the brain known as the amygdala to explain the stress response. The amygdala is also known as the “fear center“ of the brain.
When you feel stressed or anxious, the amygdala switches on, and it sends a flood of stress hormones into your body to activate the fight-or-flight response. It also reduces the flow of blood to the heart, which deprives your heart of much-needed oxygen and nutrients.
In a life threatening situation, this is necessary. It prepares you to fight for your life or to flee. But on a normal workday when your boss or your co-worker has upset you, this natural response is not as helpful.
Over time, this constant high hormone level can increase your blood pressure. It can also lead to:
- inflammation in your arteries
- higher levels of body fat
- greater insulin resistance
All of these effects can promote plaque buildup and arterial disease that increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
A 2020 review suggests that the risk posed by stress is similar to the risk posed by other well-known heart attack risks factors, including:
- overweight or obesity
- poor diet
- lack of exercise
While doctors may think to talk with their patients about maintaining a moderate weight and eating a balanced diet in order to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, the latest research suggests discussions about stress level and reducing stress may be warranted, too.
To be continued
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