While stress might seem like an inescapable component of your fast-paced lives, its silent toll on heart health necessitates a closer look. For Dr Hari Saini, the link between stress and heart health, while complex, is a potent reality that you can’t afford to ignore.
Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
Stress triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response, leading to the release of adrenaline. This hormone causes a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, prompting your heart to work harder. While this isn’t harmful to healthy hearts under short-term situations, chronic stress can keep these levels high, putting unwanted stress on your heart over time.
Impact on the Arteries
Chronic stress, either directly or indirectly, could lead to inflammation in your arteries. The inflammation can cause an accumulation of fatty plaque which could eventually result in coronary artery disease, elevating the risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Often, stress nudges people towards unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking excessive alcohol, and indulging in a nutrient-deficit, high-calorie
Dr Hari Saini diet. These habits might seem like stress busters, but they are known assailants of heart health.
The Stress Relief Mission for Heart Health
While you can’t always evade stress, you can certainly cultivate skills and habits that aid in managing it effectively, thereby securing your heart. Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, routine exercise, a nutritious diet, adequate sleep, and maintaining a strong social support network can prove to be effective antidotes to stress.
Listen to Your Heart: Saying ‘No’ to Stress
Stress stands as a stealthy enemy, not just for peace of mind but for heart health too. While you’ve long known that chronic stress sucks the joy out of life, realizing its potential impact on heart health might provide a stronger impetus to address it. Dr Hari Saini After all, every heartbeat matters, and shielding it from the clutches of chronic stress is entirely in your hands.
