Stress and Heart Health: Here's What You Need to Know

Everyone, at some point in their life, will experience stress. It’s a natural reaction that everyone’s body has when they’re facing change or challenges. While there are benefits to stress, there are also negatives—especially when it is ongoing.

While short-term stress can be good for keeping someone alert and motivated, being in a constant “fight-or-flight” response can be dangerous long-term. Continued activation of stress can cause wear and tear on the body, physically and mentally.

Any healthcare professional, whether it’s a general practitioner or a student of the hybrid accelerated BSN program, can tell you the negative impacts of stress. It can have a major effect on the body, especially the heart, increasing the risk of diseases.

This article covers everything you need to know about stress and how it is linked to heart health. It’s also important to remember: If you have any concerns about your heart, talk to your doctor. They’ll be able to provide personalized advice and treatment if needed.

Understanding stress & the body

Before delving into how stress is linked to heart health, it’s important to understand how stress functions. Stress has both mental and physical aspects. It controls the sympathetic nervous system and can also release hormones, like adrenaline. 

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the overall autonomic nervous system. It is responsible for many bodily functions, like your heart rate and blood pressure. For example, when someone is stressed, the SNS can:

• Increase a person’s heart rate to improve oxygen delivery.

• Slow down a person’s digestive tract to manage energy more efficiently.

• Enlarge a person’s pupil to let in more light and improve vision.

Stress improving a person’s reflexes, cognitive function, and endurance is helpful, but only when the person is in a dangerous situation. Prolonged exposure to these effects can impact a person’s body, immune system, and even mental health.

Because of stress’s relationship with the SNS and how it can release hormones, like adrenaline, it can directly and indirectly affect a person’s body. For example, if a person has ongoing elevated blood pressure due to chronic stress, it can result in:

• Increased risk of a heart attack or failure

• Increased chance of vision loss

• Sexual dysfunction

  
  

Stress & mental health

Studies have also found that stress can increase a person’s risk of developing mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression mood disorders. This is because the physiological stress response can even affect sleeping habits and a person’s emotions.

The relationship between stress and mood disorders like anxiety and depression is “bidirectional”. This means that one can cause the other, and then they can also both make each other worse.

The different types of stress

Before delving into the impact of stress on heart health, it’s important to understand the different kinds of stress. There are generally three types:

• Acute stress: This is the “normal” type of stress. It refers to short-term stress and is usually over quite quickly.

• Episodic acute stress: This is the next stage of stress, and is when an individual experiences acute stress regularly. Episodic acute stress can evolve into chronic stress over time.

• Chronic stress: This refers to long-term stress, which has been going on for weeks or even months. This type of stress can elevate risk factors for disease and lead to health issues.

Stress & heart health

Episodic acute and chronic stress are the two types of stress you want to look out for. Both types can cause a range of emotional, mental, and physical symptoms that can impact your heart health.

The most common way stress can impact the heart is through elevated blood pressure, which is the primary risk factor for heart disease. High blood pressure (hypertension) is when a person’s blood pressure is permanently higher than normal.

High blood pressure makes it harder for your heart to push blood throughout your body, resulting in your heart muscles working overtime. This can weaken it long-term and also cause damage to your arteries. It can also lead to:

• Coronary artery disease

• Left ventricular hypertrophy

Hypertension can also lead to other heart-related complications, like heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease. 

Stress also increases the risk of developing other medical conditions, including diabetes and obesity, which indirectly impact heart health. Research has shown that diabetics are more likely to have heart failure.

Many of the mental health conditions that can be caused by stress can also indirectly impact heart health. For example, studies have found that adults with depression often go on to develop heart disease.

This is because mood disorders can impact a person’s behaviors. If a person is struggling with their mental health, it can lead to them neglecting their physical health through poor diet and lack of exercise. This can then impact their heart health, e.g., through weight gain.

How to manage stress

If you’re struggling to effectively cope with your stress, there are a few strategies you can try to get it under control. These include:

• Start exercising. Studies show that any form of physical activity can help relieve stress and build emotional resilience to acute stress.

• Eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. Research shows that a deficiency in certain vitamins, like Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D, can contribute to stress. Chronic stress can also deplete vitamin levels.

• Practice meditation and mindfulness. This can help you build emotional resilience and keep you grounded when facing a stressful situation.

A study from 2022, which was also cited by the American Psychological Association, reports that a strong support network is crucial for managing stress. Strong relationships, whether through friends or family, can help during stressful situations and increase resilience.

When to ask for help

If you’re still struggling to find effective coping methods for stress, we recommend speaking to a professional. Mental health professionals, like psychologists, can provide personalized advice and also provide medication, like antidepressants, that can potentially help reduce stress.

Studies have also found that therapy and counseling are effective for reducing stress. For example, research has found that mindfulness-based therapy and music therapy are effective. They can also help the individual develop better coping methods, too.

Doctors can also prescribe medication that can help manage the risk factors increased by stress. For example, anti-hypertensive medication can lower high blood pressure and can be used to reduce the risk of heart-related diseases.

It’s important to remember that before beginning any treatment, you should always seek advice from a professional first. If you’re unsure where to start, we recommend researching local healthcare providers in your area.