September
The Effects Of Stress On The Heart
The heart is the most important muscle in your body, and is also one that is most impacted by the stress of an unhealthy lifestyle. Many of us deal with the day-to-day pressures of working a job and trying to make the most of our free time, but do you ever stop to think about how that kind of stress might be impacting your heart health?
Stress Causes You to Engage in Non-Heart-Healthy Behavior
Because of high stress levels, most people find themselves in need of a stress reliever. For some, this can mean positive things like trips to the gym or long bike rides. But others find stress relief in less healthy activities like smoking cigarettes, eating fatty foods, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Not only are these things all bad for your health, they also contribute directly to health of your heart, and research shows their use goes up when stress levels rise.
Stress Can Be a Contributing Factor
Science hasn’t quite been able to define the direct relationship between chronic or on-going stress and heart health, but stress can be a factor in causing other heart-damaging issues like high blood pressure, hypertension, and a weakened immune system. We do know, however, that sudden of extreme stress can bring about severe cardiovascular issues (think about those who’ve had a heart attack directly after receiving disturbing, alarming, or shocking news). High stress levels can impact all parts of the body, so if you’re trying to keep your heart healthy, do your best to eliminate stress.
How Best to Combat Stress-related worries
There is no secret formula for controlling stress in your life. Exercise and meditation are great starts, but sometimes the peace of mind of knowing that your heart is healthy can be a stress reliever in itself. At Brookhaven Heart, your health and happiness is truly at the heart of everything we do. For more information about how we can help you, contact us at (631) 654-3278.
