The Domino Effect: The Toll Stress and Mental Health Has on the Heart

In today’s fast-paced environment, stress is an inevitable part of life. From work to personal responsibilities, financial problems, and other pressures weighing on a person, stress is a common ordeal many people experience. While occasional acute stress is normal, chronic stress and poor mental health can be detrimental. They can take a toll on a person’s body – especially on one’s heart – leading to long-term or fatal consequences if not handled urgently.

Chronic Stress and Heart Disease

Since 1950, heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States. Individuals may develop additional risk from prolonged stress, which can cause wear-and-tear in the cardiovascular system over time. Chronic stress can bring a variety of conditions which can affect the heart including:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Coronary artery disease
• Stroke
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Heart valve disease
• Heart attack
• Aortic aneurysm
• Arrhythmias 

As stress becomes more chronic, it can hasten the development of these conditions.

Acute Stress vs. Chronic Stress

Knowing the difference between acute stress and chronic stress can help a person identify when they are in constant stress and how to fix or prevent it.

Acute stress is short-term stress that most people have experienced or will experience over the course of their lives. It is a dramatic psychological and physiological reaction specific to an event or moment. This can be a death of a family member, being nervous before giving a speech or rushing to meet a deadline. These episodes happen every so often and quickly fade once that circumstance or moment is over without experiencing any post-traumatic results. While acute stress may have some impact on our daily lives, it is nothing compared to chronic stress.

Chronic stress is a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed for an ongoing amount of time. This can result from a toxic work environment, pressure and deadlines, overworking, financial burdens, a negative household or friend group, or an unhealthy lifestyle of poor diet and lack of exercise. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to significant health problems that affect the heart. By triggering the body’s fight-or-flight response during constant stress, adrenaline in the body increases, which increases one’s blood pressure, making it harder for blood to flow properly.

Risks of Chronic Stress

Long-term stress can increase stress hormones, such as cortisol, disrupting all the body’s processes. This puts a patient’s health at great risk when not taken care of, causing conditions such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Headaches
• Muscle tension and pain
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Issues with memory and focus
• Heart disease 

Mental Health and Heart Health

Stress and poor mental health are intertwined, and they both lead to heart disease. Mental health is an important part of overall health and plays a significant part in how the heart functions properly. Just like chronic stress, poor mental health can cause:

• Anxiety
• Depressive episodes
• Fatigue

Behavior and hormonal changes caused by poor mental health can make it harder for people to stick to healthy habits, and as a result, they neglect eating well, exercise, or taking prescribed medications. These changes also may result in smoking and drinking alcohol – leading factors for heart disease – to cope with their feelings.

Behavior and hormonal changes can also cause the body to produce more cortisol and increase blood pressure and heart rate, reducing blood flow to the heart. This elevates the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, and thickening or hardening of the arteries.

Who is at Risk for Chronic Stress?

Anyone who goes through constant stress or poor mental health is at risk for heart disease. However, certain individuals show higher rates of heart disease due to pre-existing mental health disorders. These include:

• Veterans: Veterans are at high risk for heart disease due to their post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) from combat.
• Women: PTSD and depression among women have more damaging effects physically and mentally, increasing their risk for coronary heart disease-related morbidity and mortality.
• Partner who has PTSD: Studies have shown that a person in a relationship with PTSD reacts more severely to conflict in the relationship. This can lead to high blood pressure, causing a possible heart attack or other deadly heart disease.
• Racial and ethnic minorities: Depression, stress, and anxiety due to adverse environmental factors or childhood, genetics, or racism/discrimination, poses a higher risk for minorities to get hypertension, cardiovascular reactivity, or other heart disease conditions. 

What Are Some Ways to Manage Stress?

While stress and poor mental health can take a toll on the heart, fortunately, there are coping strategies that can prevent or manage stress, such as:

• A healthy, balanced diet: By eating a low-fat, low sodium, high-fiber diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, one can decrease the risk of having a heart disease. Incorporating foods high in unsaturated fats such as fish, avocados, nuts and seeds, and olive oil have shown to increase levels of good cholesterol, helping reduce any blockage in the arteries.
• Regular exercise: Combining a healthy diet and becoming more physically active can decrease stress and improve mental health because tension, anxiety, and stress factors are reduced. It is advised to perform moderate to vigorous workouts at least four times a week for an hour, such as pilates, swimming, dancing, HIIT workouts, running, or even walking at an incline for at least 30 minutes. This helps the heart and blood circulatory system become more efficient, lower cholesterol levels, and keep the blood pressure at a healthy level.
• Prioritize sleep: Quality sleep helps manage stress and poor mental health, while poor sleep habits increase cortisol levels that can lead to mental health disorders and weight gain, thus increasing heart issues. If possible, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
• Stop smoking and reduce alcohol intake: Smoking is a major cause of developing cardiovascular disease which includes heart disease, stroke and peripheral artery disease. Even smoking just a few cigarettes doubles the risk of developing heart disease and other health concerns that can have long-term consequences or even death. Binge drinking can also increase one’s BMI and the risk of heart attack.
• Take prescribed medication: Medications prescribed by a doctor can help with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other risks for heart problems. Always consult with a primary doctor before discontinuing them.
• Respond differently to stress: Stress is a factor in life, but it is important to respond differently to situations that are out of your control. This may include breathing exercises, doing hobbies or fun activities, surrounding yourself with healthy and positive relationships, journaling, organizing your workload or seeking counseling. Also, obtaining professional guidance by a psychologist or psychiatrist is generally advised to navigate these issues. 

All of these are ways to help manage stress, help one’s mental health and improve quality of life.

Where Can I go to Manage My Heart Condition?

For patients seeking ways to manage stress or cope with mental health problems, the care team at MemorialCare Medical Group can attend to your needs by offering treatment options tailored specifically to your symptoms. This includes free online mental health resources through Onward by NeuroFlow, an interactive digital wellness tool that helps build skills toward living a happier and healthier life.

If symptoms persist or get worse, alternative medical interventions may be provided at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, where the care team offers different treatment options to help manage patient’s heart issues with personalized treatment plans. The care team is highly specialized and trained to combat future heart disease risks in patients by addressing underlying issues affecting a patient’s heart health.

Stress and mental health play a significant role in a person’s heart and overall health. By taking proactive steps and consulting with one of our primary physicians at MemorialCare, patients can reduce their risk of developing heart problems in the future.

For further questions or concerns, make an appointment online or call us at (877) 696-3622. Or if you want to see if you are at risk, take our heart health risk assessment.