Could everyday stress be killing your heart?

  • Shelly Webb
  • January 29, 2011
  • 288
                        
Everyone has stress. Whether you’re a wealthy investor that hits Wall Street hard everyday or a stay at home mom of three kids, meeting preschool schedules, soccer practices and dinner deadlines stress is a factor in every life. How you deal with that stress however may be an important key in your overall heart health. Area Cardiologist Dr. Kenneth Shafer M.D., F.A.C.C. of the Cleveland Clinic, Wooster Family Health Center says, stress is a normal part of life, but if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heart beats. In Shafer’s field he sees the effects of unmanaged stress on the heart often although researchers aren’t certain exactly how stress increases heart risks. “Stress itself might be a risk factor,” Shafer explained. “Perhaps it could be that high levels of stress worsen other risk factors already present such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Another possibility is that stress alone is a risk factor for heart disease because chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy and persistently elevated levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. So whether stress is the risk factor or whether stress just worsens other factors, the point is, stress can impact your heart.” Stress affects different people in different ways. Some individuals tend to have a higher tolerance level to stress or just have personality traits that help them deal with life’s ups and downs in a more positive manner. For those of us that don’t ‘deal’ so well, knowing the warning signs that our stress may be getting out of hand and affecting our heart is important. According to Dr. Shafer those warning signs are there to tell you something is wrong and shouldn’t be ignored. “These physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral warning signs should not be ignored,” he explained. “Warning signs is the body’s way of telling you that you need to slow down. If you continue to be stressed and you don't give your body a break, you are likely to develop health problems like heart disease.” Some physical warning signs of stress overload includes: dizziness, general aches and pains, grinding teeth, clenched jaws, headaches, indigestion, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, ringing in the ears, stooped posture, sweaty palms, tiredness, exhaustion, trembling, weight gain or loss, upset stomach. There are also mental signs such as lack of concentration, constant worry, forgetfulness and emotional signs like sadness, anger, depression, nervousness and anxiety. Sometimes warning signs of stress will manifest in behavior changes as well. Some behavior signs you may notice include bossiness, compulsive eating, increased use of alcohol or drugs or frequent job changes. Once you’ve identified the fact that your stress may be at an unhealthy level and you’ve zoned in on what exactly is causing that stress, then you can do something about it. Dr. Shafer says there are many common sense ways to address stress before it addresses you. “After you've identified the cause of stress in your life, the next step is to learn techniques that can help you cope,” he said. “There are many techniques you can use to manage stress; some involve simple life changes that you can initiate by yourself while other techniques may require the guidance of a trained therapist. The important goal is to reduce the stress in your life regardless of which techniques you use.” Some common techniques for coping with stress includes: eating and drinking sensibly; asserting yourself and learning to say ‘no’ when you don’t feel comfortable taking on another task; if you smoke, stop, nicotine acts as a stimulant and can bring on more stress symptoms; exercise regularly, aerobic exercises have been shown to release endorphins and help with a positive attitude, yoga is also a great way to reduce stress; another suggestion is to try and relax everyday, set aside a few minutes each day to just breathe and relax, believe it or not this can make a difference in the rest of your day, set realistic goals and expectations, get enough rest and sleep, sleep is very important, no one can fight stress effectively without proper rest. “A positive attitude and self-esteem are also good defenses against stress and heart disease because they help you view stress as a challenge rather than a problem,” Dr. Shafer added. “Stay balanced in your life and make, a conscious effort to reduce stress.” Everyone dealing with stress should take an honest evaluation of how their body and heart are dealing with that stress and then incorporate some life changes that will ultimately improve the way you handle stress. Addressing stress today is much better than addressing heart disease in the future. February is National Heart Health Month. Make this month a time to do something for your heart; check your blood pressure and cholesterol; stop smoking; start exercising and start reducing your stress.


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