Part 2: Stress and a Heart Attack: What can you do to manage stress in a healthy way?
Chronic psychological stress is linked to a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. But positive mental health can help lower your risk of these events.
Managing stress is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It may take weeks or months to figure out what types of stress management techniques best help you reign in stress and reverse the physical effects that chronic stress can have on your body.
Consider trying these steps to help manage stress in a healthy way:
- Move more. Regular exercise helps decrease blood pressure, manage weight, and combat the many cardiovascular risks associated with heart attack, including psychological stress. You don’t have to do a lot of exercise to reap the rewards. Start out with 15 to 20 minutes of walking per day, and build up to a pace and duration that is comfortable for you.
- Focus on sleep. Sleep and stress have an interconnected relationship. Often, people who are experiencing chronic stress have problems getting enough sleep, which can worsen stress and its symptoms, like irritability and mood swings. Start by creating a room that is conducive to sleep — a cool, dark space with no outside light or noise — and try to avoid interruptions to your sleep cycle, like exercising late in the evening or eating too close to bedtime. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep, and take a short nap if you need to, but not too late in the day.
- Stay connected. Meeting up with friends or going to dinner with family is about more than just catching up on news or celebrating a birthday. These friendships and relationships can help improve your heart health and reduce your stress levels, too.
- Be mindful. Meditation, controlled breathing exercises, and gentle forms of exercise like yoga and tai chi all work to activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the body helps calm the brain and reduce the impacts of stress.
- Distract yourself. A hobby or new pastime won’t end chronic stress, but it can help distract you from negative thoughts and push away worries. When you’re not focused on these issues, your brain and body get a chance to relax. Over time, these distractions may take up more of your brain’s capacity than the stress.
What else can you do to boost your heart health?
Reducing stress is not the only measure for boosting your heart’s health and cutting your risk of a heart attack. You can take other measures to bolster your heart health and overall well-being. These steps include:
- Exercise. This is mentioned twice because it’s that important. Exercise reduces levels of cortisol. It also releases endorphins — hormones that combat stress, boost heart health, and increase circulation throughout the body. (Remember, stress reduces blood flow to the heart).
- Take a nap. A healthy sleep routine is important to reducing stress levels and combating the effects of stress, but a nap can play an immediate role in boosting heart health. During a nap, cortisol levels fall, which erases some of the stress you’re experiencing.
- Eat better. A balanced, heart-healthy diet consists of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins (like fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes), and whole grains. These nutrient-rich foods can improve cholesterol levels and help you manage your weight and blood sugar levels.
- Get vaccinated. Diseases like COVID-19 put people with heart disease or heart health issues at greater risk of complications and death. Getting vaccinated helps reduce the risk of an infection, and if you do test positive, the vaccine can help lower the risk of serious complications.
- Try medication. If you’re still experiencing too much stress, talk with a doctor. Certain prescription medications can help reduce the impact of anxiety on your body, including your heart. Some drugs can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack.
The bottom line
Stress is a powerful force. It can help you power through tasks, but it can also take a toll on your body, specifically on your heart.
Research shows that chronic stress can lead to inflammation in the arteries, plaque buildup, and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease and heart attack.
In fact, stress is as significant a risk factor for a heart attack as other well-known risks, like obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Reducing stress isn‘t as easy as flipping a switch. It requires work and persistence, but reversing the effects of stress on your body and heart is vital to your health.
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