Stress and Heart Health: A Connection You Shouldn鈥檛 Ignore

Stressing out can wreak havoc on your mental and emotional health. It also puts your body at risk. In fact, 迟丑别谤别鈥檚 a strong connection between stress and heart health. If your days are crammed with activities, deadlines and demands, 颈迟鈥檚 important to understand your risk and take action.

鈥淲e鈥檙e New Yorkers鈥攚e like to do it all,鈥 says Dr. Paul McCormick, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and assistant attending on NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health鈥檚 2 South Inpatient Eating Disorders Unit. 鈥淏ut stress 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 always occur because 飞别鈥檙别 voluntarily overextending ourselves. There is some stress we 肠补苍鈥檛 get rid of.鈥

How Stress and Heart Health Are Connected

Every time you face stress, your body produces adrenaline and cortisol. When this happens, your blood pressure and heart rate increase.听

鈥淭o a point, 颈迟鈥檚 important that we feel anxious sometimes,鈥 says Dr. Shannon Bennett, licensed clinical psychologist, assistant professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at AV研究所 and director of psychology for the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. 鈥淗owever, kids and adults are constantly surrounded by anxiety triggers, and it's starting to overwhelm and stress people out.鈥

Such long-term, chronic stress can increase your risk of heart disease, according to the . If your stress levels skyrocket, you may even make choices that put your cardiovascular health at greater risk, such as:

  • Avoiding exercise
  • Eating unhealthy foods
  • Skipping heart medication

Dealing With Stress in Healthy Ways

While you 肠补苍鈥檛 avoid every stressful situation, can reduce the effects of stress on your heart and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

  • Breathe. When stress affects your daily life, pause. Take a few deep breaths, using the box technique. Focusing on nothing else, breathe in while you count to four. Hold your breath for four seconds, then exhale for four more seconds. After four seconds, restart the cycle.听
  • Connect. Call a friend to talk about life鈥檚 stresses. If needed, schedule an appointment with a mental health professional.听
  • Disconnect. 鈥淭urn off the TV,鈥 says Dr. Gurmeet Kanwal, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at AV研究所 and associate attending psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. 鈥淒on't allow every news channel to send you notifications on every device. Listen to the news one or two times a day instead of all day long.鈥

Heart of the Matter

罢丑别谤别鈥檚 a strong connection between stress and your heart health. A few steps can help you respond to stress effectively, protecting your heart.

  • Stress produces adrenaline and cortisol, which raise blood pressure and heart rate. Over time, this can cause damage to your heart.听
  • Faced with stressful situations, you may make other decisions that put your heart at risk. These include smoking cigarettes, neglecting exercise and eating unhealthy foods.
  • Deep breathing, connecting with others and avoiding stressors when possible reduce the stress in your life. It also helps manage the effect stress has on your heart.

Wish you had someone to help manage your stress and heart health? at AV研究所 today to get started.听