What can stress do to your heart? Primus Hospital


Have you ever wondered what chronic stress can do to your heart? Imagine being in a situation when you start to panic and your anxiety starts to build up. Don’t you feel right on the verge of collapsing if it continues for long? Stress can do more harm to your heart daily than you can imagine. When the body experiences stress in a challenging situation, chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline are released which prepares the body for heightened action. But when there is no scope for action and the stress keeps on building up, it leads to a series of health effects. Too much stress can affect your food habits, sleeping pattern, mood as well as the heart.

Effects of stress on the heart

  • Stress can have severe effects on the heart and some of them can even be life-threatening. At times some traumatic news such as death can give a heart attack to a person due to shock and subsequent sudden stress. Stress increases blood pressure and leads to severe effects on the heart.
  • Even in daily life, stress regarding meeting deadlines, reaching on time, unhappy relationships, financial problems, etc. can be bad for the heart. Chronic stress increases inflammation which is not at all good for a healthy heart.
  • Stress over a long time gives rise to bad habits like smoking and consumption of alcohol or comfort food which in turn is even worse for your heart.

Some of the warnings that your body is under huge stress:-

  • Headaches, dizziness, tiredness and nausea
  • Excessive sweating
  • Aches and body pains
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Indigestion and stomach problems
  • Forgetfulness
  • Lack of creativity
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Detachment from society and relationships
  • Addiction to alcohol and smoking.

Ways to manage stress:-

Different people have different ways of dealing with stress as different people react differently to situations. Here are some of the ways to deal with stress daily and keep your heart safe from it.
  • Stay motivated- Read a lot of positive and inspirational thoughts every morning so that you stay positive and motivated all day long no matter what situation you face. Subscribe to motivational quotes or videos on social media instead of depressing yourself over others’ achievements and see how calm you feel even if life seems difficult.
  • Listen to music-
Music is a great way of cutting down on stress as it releases happy hormones in the body and has a calming effect on your mind. If you feel the stress building on while waiting in the traffic, it is time to turn on the music and let it have its effect upon you.
  • Take a relaxing bath-
A warm or cool bath, depending on the weather can have a great effect on your stress levels at the end of the day. It not only refreshes your body but your mind too. Add some essential oils to your bath water to let it have a relaxing effect and take care of your stress levels.
  • Plan something interesting for the weekend-
Plan something interesting like a drive or movie with your friends and family on weekends to have some good laugh and forget all your worries. It is a good way to keep stress pressing upon your heart.
  • Have some good sleep-
It is a normal sign to lose sleep when you are under heavy stress. During such times try to sleep whenever you can to let your body repair itself from the damaging effects of stress and also manage it well.

Top Hospital List for Heart Care in India.

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