Stress and Heart Disease

Medical researchers don't know for sure how stress increases the risk of heart disease.

Scientific evidence suggests a relationship between the risk of heart disease and environmental and psychosocial factors.

Loneliness, personality, and job stress can all affect your risk of getting cardiovascular disease.

When your body is in "stress response mode" powerful stress hormones flood your body. They alter how the body normally works so it can respond to a stressful event.

The hormones produced when you're emotionally stressed can lead to "stress heart disease" as they damage arteries and blood vessels over time.

As oxidative stress increases, cell repair decreases. If the body is kept in this state for a long time, the stage is set for illness.

There is an immediate relationship between stress and heart disease as well as long-term effects.

When the stress response is initiated, cortisol and adrenaline are released into the system. Adrenaline causes the heart to work harder. Blood vessels constrict and clotting increases. This increases the risk of heart attack.

Another stress factor contributing to heart disease could be that stressed-out people often engage in unhealthy behaviors. They are more likely to smoke, eat unhealthy foods, eat too much in general, and don't sleep well. They may anger easily and exhibit hostile behavior regularly. They are far less likely to exercise. All of these behaviors contribute to the connection between stress and heart disease over time.

Stress Chest Pain

Sometimes this pain is more severe and feels like a heart attack. As muscles tighten in the chest and throughout the body from stress, blood pressure rises and chest pains may result. The heart may be affected, or the pain could just be coming from chest muscles.

Each year, many people visit emergency rooms because of chest pains. A study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, indicated several common factors among people with unexplained chest pain. These factors included anxiety, depression, stress at work, and lack of exercise.

If you have unexplained stress chest pain, try upping your intake of magnesium in addition to practicing stress-relief techniques. Magnesium is an essential mineral that is responsible for relaxing muscles. Stress puts great demands on this mineral, which most people are already deficient in.

Stress High Blood Pressure

Research has yet to prove a direct connection between previous stressful episodes and resulting long-term high blood pressure.

Personally, I've known several people who suffered from high blood pressure due to prolonged unresolved emotional issues. The connection was undeniable. When and if their responses changed, or the situation resolved, so did the high blood pressure.

One woman I knew had uncontrolled high blood pressure for at least 30 years even while taking several medications. When I asked her when it started she told me about her feelings of anger when her first husband died, leaving her with three teenagers.

Obviously, even though she was happily remarried and her children were on their own, her body was either still holding on to the trauma, or the damage had been permanently done. Either way, her blood pressure was "through the roof".

In myself I've regularly noticed that right before a medical procedure, my blood pressure shoots up, even when I don't consciously feel stressed or nervous about it. This common phenomenon has recently been dubbed "white coat syndrome."

To reduce your chances of suffering from "stress heart disease" and other physical problems caused by stress, take steps now to reduce immediate and chronic stress.

If you are already suffering from heart disease, or related issues such as stress chest pain or stress high blood pressure, practice relaxation techniques often. Use mental and emotional healing techniques to lighten your stress load and help your mind and body focus on repair instead of reacting to stress and creating further damage.



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