Recent research has found that emotional stress can damage your arteries and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The study further revealed how emotional stress affects our body’s circulatory system.
According to a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association, mental stress, and not physical, is more responsible for attacks, strokes or cardiovascular disease among people with less healthy hearts. During the study, the effect of physical and mental stress on over 900 people suffering from heart diseases was assessed.
Mental stress increased the risk of myocardial ischemia in these patients because their heart arteries didn’t get enough oxygen, and they were at a higher risk of a stroke.
In a study conducted on more than 24,000 people from 52 countries, it was revealed that the ones with high levels of mental stress had more than double the risk of heart stroke or attack.
As per cardiologist Dr Michael Osborne, the reason for mental stress can be a loss of job, anxiety or severe depression leading to heart disease. When one is continuously subjected to these emotional and psychological pressures, they are likely to go into a state where the fear centre in their brain reacts by releasing hormones.
This increases fat, BP and insulin resistance in the body. When this happens repeatedly, the arteries of the heart start to swell. This increases blood clotting, eventually resulting in a heart attack or stroke.
Things To Take Care Of:
According to researchers, stress reduction programmes can also benefit. These include yoga, meditation and tai chi that activate the parasympathetic nervous system in your body. Regular workouts also relieve stress.
Dr Osborne explains that getting enough sleep reduces the risk of heart disease, and it is necessary to make a pattern of sleeping and waking up. Avoid keeping your smartphone or computer nearby while you are asleep. The blue light emitted by them can be harmful.
