This post was written by Ashika Thanju, NP, PPG – Cardiology.
Everyone experiences stress—it’s a part of life. And some short bursts of stress that send us into a “fight or flight” mode can even be helpful for our survival. But chronic stress can not only make us feel overwhelmed, it can also lead to serious health outcomes, especially for the heart.
Stress and our hearts
When we are feeling stress, our bodies release the stress hormone cortisol. Small amounts of this hormone are useful to our survival, but chronic cortisol production from stress can lead to high blood pressure, high blood sugar, fatigue and inflammation in the arteries. In addition, stress can also make it hard to make healthy food choices and lead to poor sleep.
These lifestyle changes caused by stress and the high levels of cortisol in your body can add up to adversely affect your heart and place you at greater risk for heart attack, atrial fibrillation, stroke and hypertension, among other conditions.
How to protect your heart from stress
While stress is bound to arise in our lives, there are lifestyle changes we can make to help minimize the effect stress has on our health. Here are a few heart-healthy suggestions to cope with your stress and reduce its effects on your body.
Connect with others.
Undue stress can cause us to turn toward social isolation, but managing stress alone is overwhelming. Try connecting with a trusted friend or family member, or engaging with community or faith-based organizations to unburden some of your stress.
Manage your time.
Create routines and try to find ways to make time for things you want and enjoy doing, as well as those tasks that you need to do. There are so many great apps and calendars on the market to help with task and time management. Make it a point to prioritize what’s most important and minimize habits like social media scrolling, which burn up time better spent doing other things.
Get enough sleep.
Try to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night and work on establishing good sleep hygiene to help you get better rest. Create an environment and a routine that set you up for restorative, rejuvenating nights.
Take breaks from social media and the news.
Social media and the 24-hour news cycle can perpetuate stress. Limiting hours spent online can help reduce your stress and anxiety. Set limits around your exposure to these platforms and learn to tune into what your body is trying to tell you in response to consuming this content.
Move more.
Physical activity releases hormones that have a positive effect on your mood. Set a goal to exercise a total of 150 minutes per week at moderate intensity. If you find working out to be a chore, this is a great article about reframing your view of fitness. Find a way to move your body that feels good and boosts your spirits.
It’s important to remember that while stressful circumstances are often out of our control, how we respond is not. Next time you feel stressed, try some of the tips listed above or experiment with your own ways to destress, like playing an instrument, taking a warm bath, reading a book or doing yoga. Whatever helps you bring that cortisol down is the right approach to keeping your heart healthy!
More on the subject
If you found this post helpful, we think you’ll enjoy these articles from the Parkview Dashboard:
Take some stress off your body
The one thing you can do to halt stress
Reactivity patterns: pinpoint your stress
