The Link Between Stress and Heart Disease

More and more, research is revealing that there is a link between stress and heart disease. Stress has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke and even high cholesterol. Controlling stress may be a good way to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, but of course you will need to combine that with proper nutrition, healthy lifestyle and exercise.

Stress And High Blood Pressure

One of the links between stress and heart disease is its role in high blood pressure. Blood pressure problems can be caused by many things including genetics, diet, lifestyle and illness. But emotional stress can play an important part too. When you are stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol which can raise blood pressure -if you are stressed all the time then this could have adverse affects. High blood pressure can cause the heart to strain and can also damage the blood vessels and has been linked to hardening of the arteries.

Stress and Stroke

The link between stress and high blood pressure, also show a link with stroke. Recent studies on stress and heart disease show that men who have elevated blood pressure due to chronic stress are also more likely of having a stroke. Strokes are usually caused by interrupted blood flow to the brains due to blocked blood vessels. Chronic high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and make them more prone to build up that can eventually cause blockages.

Stress and High Cholesterol

Studies suggest that chronic stress can also raise the levels of cholesterol in your blood. This link between stress and heart disease can be further complicated by the fact that many people experiencing emotional stress turn to fatty high cholesterol foods for comfort which of course contributes to the raise in blood cholesterol levels. In addition, people under stress may deal with it by exhibiting other unhealthy habits such as drinking or smoking which also contribute to heart disease.

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