Correlation Between Stress and Heart Attack

Stress is a feeling of being out of control and being under unpleasant, seemingly unending pressure. Stress is dangerous for health and emotional well-being and bad for the heart. Certain forms of stress increase the chances of developing angina. Severe stress can trigger heart attacks. The relationship between stress and heart attack really endangers those who have a risk to heart attack. Unlike blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar, or the number of cigarettes a person smokes, stress cannot be measured. Only the person affected knows how severe the stress is. It is subjective.

Instead, you can know the symptoms of the stress, check this list out:

• irritability, being short-tempered
• exhaustion, overall fatigue, lack of mental and physical energy
• panic attacks – sweaty palms, heart pounding (palpitations), loose bowels, nausea loss of sexual interest and
• decreased libido
• anxiety, fear, dry mouth
• forgetfulness, poor concentration, disinterest in hobbies
• sadness; loss of appetite, sense of humor, and fun; crying
• lack of ambition, purpose and direction: “everything is pointless, nothing matters, things couldn’t be worse”
• disinterest in family, friends, and colleagues
• muscle and joint aches, headaches, chest pain, breathlessness
• difficulty sleeping, waking up early in the morning
• lack of interest in life, no interest in fun things, hobbies, sports, current events, gossip
• needing or wanting to be alone
• sweating
• bowel disturbances, with diarrhea

People who are stressed are often depressed. Depression affects nearly everyone, to different degrees, at some time in their life. Depression is a cause of both physical and social problems. Depression becomes more common as we get older. It is more common in women, Blacks, people who are not well educated, single people, smokers, and those who are physically inactive.
As a stress, depression is also bad for the heart. How bad depression is for the heart? Find it in the list below:

• Depressed people are twice as likely to get angina and have heart attacks.
• A large proportion of patients are depressed to some extent after a heart attack or after bypass surgery.
• People who have had a heart attack are more likely to have another heart attack if they are depressed.
• Severe depression is as serious as having a weakened heart after a heart attack. Even mild depression is bad.
• Depression increases the risk of death in people who have coronary heart disease.
• Depression increases the risk of problems after coronary artery bypass surgery.
• Depressed people are less likely to look after themselves and change their lifestyle.

Stress is surely bad for the heart, so if you have a risk to suffer heart attack you have to always calm yourself down or prevent any stressful situation in your life. The relationship between stress and heart attack has many disadvantages for us.

Tagged : depression, Stress