Yes, Stress Can Hurt Your Heart: 5 Things You Should Know About Chronic Stress and Heart Disease

You probably already know stress isn’t good for your overall health, but what exactly does that mean? You need more specific information to make that statement meaningful and motivate you to change.

Here are the details regarding how stress negatively impacts your body and what chronic stress does to your heart. 

Because David Bolon, MD, specializes in cardiovascular health, he and our Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular have a lot to share in this area. When you visit our Midtown East Manhattan, New York City office for cardiac screening, we ask about your stress levels because it’s an essential piece of the overall heart health puzzle.

Here are five things we want everyone to know about how stress impacts the heart. 

#1: Stress causes inflammation, which affects your heart

When you’re consistently stressed, it can lead to chronic inflammation. Inflammation is one of your body’s responses to threatening situations. But when you live in a state of chronic stress, that inflammation sticks around — and contributes to severe health conditions. 

A growing body of research directly links persistent inflammation caused by stress to cardiovascular disease. 

#2: Emotional pressure affects your blood pressure

When you’re stressed, your body releases specific hormones that cause your heart to beat faster as your blood vessels narrow, which causes your blood pressure to spike. 

If the stress is fleeting, that blood pressure increase is, too. But if you’re dealing with chronic stress, the heightened blood pressure stays in play. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart disease and heart attacks. 

#3: Your coping mechanisms might play a role

When you’re stressed, it’s harder to find the energy and focus to prioritize your well-being. Stress might make you more likely to reach for that drink, cigarette, or unhealthy food item and less likely to lace up your sneakers and get moving. 

Since healthy lifestyle choices play a direct role in combatting heart disease, be aware of when this side effect of stress might be creeping into your life. 

#4: Even short-term stress can be a problem

If you have plaque built up in your arteries, even passing stress can be a problem. When you feel stressed, the adrenaline your body releases in response can knock plaque buildup off your artery wall, causing a blood clot. If it’s big enough, that clot could cause a heart attack. 

In other words, take even brief seasons of stress seriously. Healthy lifestyle choices — which prevent plaque buildup in your arteries — are also extremely important. 

#5: You can test for heart stress

All of these facts might have you feeling more stressed than ever, but we’re sharing them to motivate you to take action.

If you regularly feel stressed and worry about the impact on your heart, come see Dr. Bolon. With a cardiac screening, he can evaluate your heart and identify any areas where it might need protective measures. He even offers stress testing to see how your heart performs under stress. 

Don’t let chronic stress harm your heart. For help protecting this critical organ, call our office at (716) 303-4738 or book your appointment online.