Impact of Stress on Your Heart Health

It’s no secret that stress impacts you emotionally and can take a toll on your physical health. In one’s day-to-day life, there are many instances of stress that just go unnoticed. The constant switch between professional and personal life disturbs your work-life balance creating continuous stress. We don’t all react the same way to the sources of stress, so it is important to identify what your stress triggers are in order to face them in a better manner.  

SIGNS OF STRESS

You can get so used to stress that it may feel normal. The signs of stress can be physical, emotional, or behavioral.

Considering today’s lifestyle, you can look out for common physical signs of stress like rapid heart rate, headaches, sleep problems, etc.

Sometimes we also alter our behavior in response to stress by

• Eating too much or too less
• Eating or drinking very fast
• Skipping a meal
• Sleeping too little or too much

These are often ways our body responds to stress, and this can be harmful in the longer term.

IMPACT ON HEART HEALTH

Your body’s response to stress is supposed to protect you. But constant & high level of stress can affect your health. Cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands which plays an important role in helping the body respond to stress. High levels of this hormone over a prolonged period may impact heart health. 

Behavior in response to stress like overeating (especially unhealthy food), consumption of alcohol, or smoking when you face tense situations is also bad for your heart. This can further compound the risk to your heart health.

While it may not be easy to remove all the causes of stress, you can take essential steps to manage stress and control its impact on your heart!

HOW TO MANAGE STRESS

Because we all react differently to stress, there is not only one right way to manage it. You can find out what suits you the best. Here are a few ways to find helpful solutions:

Exercise – Regular Aerobic exercises like Brisk walk, jogging, cycling, swimming can improve heart health

Talk it out – Talk about your problems with concerned people to help find solutions 

Take short breaks – Sitting for long periods can contribute to stress. Take a regular break for short walks in between your long hours of sitting.

Eat healthy – Intake of healthy foods like whole grains, legumes, and leafy vegetables at regular hours

Drink adequate water - Drink a glass of water every 2 hours to keep up your hydration to stay alert and healthy

It is natural and normal to be stressed sometimes. But it is very important to recognize it and manage the stress. This can go a long way in keeping your heart healthy!