3 weeks ago
15
EVERYONE FEELS and reacts to stress in different ways. How much stress you experience and how you react to it can lead to a wide variety of health problems, and that is why it is critical to know what you can do to manage your stress. Adopting serenity in the face of life’s challenges may help improve how you view stress and result in better quality of life and heart health.
Managing stress is good for your health and well-being. Negative psychological and mental health is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Meanwhile, positive psychological health is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and death.
Stress that persists day in and day out, what doctors call chronic stress, has been linked to a wide range of health issues. It negatively impacts mood, sleep, and appetite problems. Chronic stress also leads to persistent low-grade inflammation, which increases the risk of heart disease.
According to Dr Rivane Chybar Virgo, medical doctor and health and wellness coach, stress may influence your risk of heart attack and other heart conditions in more subtle ways.
“For example, when stressed, people often eat unhealthy food and do not have the energy or time to exercise. Stress can also lead us into other heart-damaging behaviours such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol,” Dr Chybar Virgo said.
“Poor sleep can affect how we manage stress and chronic stress can raise the stress hormone cortisol. The hormone itself can also put a strain on the heart, too, especially over a long period of time,” she said.
Breaking the connection between chronic stress and heart disease requires learning to deal with stress and managing unhealthy habits. These five simple tips can help you do just that:
• Stay positive: Laughter has been found to lower levels of stress hormones, reduce inflammation in the arteries, and increase ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.
• Meditate: This practice of inward-focused thought and deep breathing has been shown to reduce heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure. Meditation’s close relatives, yoga and prayer, can also relax the mind and body.
• Exercise: Every time you are physically active, whether you take a walk or play tennis, your brain releases mood-boosting chemicals called endorphins. Exercising not only helps you destress. It also protects against heart disease by lowering your blood pressure, strengthening your heart muscle, and helping you maintain a healthy weight.
• Unplug: It is impossible to escape stress when it follows you everywhere. Cut the cord. Avoid emails and television news. Take time each day, even if it is for just 10 or 15 minutes, to escape from the world.
Find ways to destress. Simple things like a warm bath, listening to music, or spending time on a favourite hobby can give you a much-needed break from the stressors in your life.
“You can think about adding some relaxation things into your sleep routine such as meditation or deep breathing or journalling. So if you realise that you are stressed out for the next day, or you have so many things on your mind, think about writing it down. Acknowledge what is going on in your head, and write it down,” Dr Chybar-Virgo said.
SOURCE: Harvard Health, Heath Talk Sundays
English (US) ·