Staying Stress-Free For Your Heart Health

Do you find yourself worrying about the smallest details? Maybe even something that happened years ago? All that stress can wreak havoc on your heart health.

In fact, those that suffer from chronic stress are much more likely to experience heart failure, stroke & heart attacks.

What Is Chronic Stress?

We all get stressed out from time to time but what are the key differences from normal stress & chronic stress? Chronic stress is a consistent feeling of being overwhelmed and under pressure for a long period of time. Here are some common symptoms of chronic stress:

• Unfocused thinking

• Aches & pains

• Insomnia

• Less socialization

• Feeling of helplessness

• Perceived loss of control

• Nervousness

Chronic stress can be triggered by problems with money, family, marriage or a variety of different reasons. This sort of severe stress slowly drains your psychological resources causing damage to the brain. A mental health professional can screen a patient to determine if they are suffering from chronic stress levels.

Chronic Stress & Your Heart Health

Stress is your body's biological response to demanding situations, it causes the body to release hormones such as cortisol & adrenaline. Spikes in the stress hormone cortisol can lead to heart attacks and stroke's even when they have no other risk factors such as high blood pressure. Chronic stress can also affect heart health by:

• Causing Irregular heart rate and rhythm

• Increasing blood pressure

• Inflammation

• Reducing blood flow to the heart

How to decrease stress levels

Exercise

Exercise in almost any form can boost your feel-good endorphins and act as a stress reliever. Even if you aren't an athlete a little bit of movement can go a long way when it comes to your mental health. Exercise actually imitates the effects of stress by activating the body's fight or flight response helping your body work through those effects. Think back to your last fast-paced game of tennis or a long run. You may have likely forgotten that long to-do list or daily worries because you were focused on nothing but your body's movements. Be sure to build up your fitness level gradually to avoid burnout or a possible injury.

Meditation

Meditation affects the body the exact opposite way that stress does. During a meditation session, it triggers your body's natural relaxation response. By restoring the body to a calm state you're helping it repair itself from the damage you caused by daily stresses. While meditating your adrenal glands produce less cortisol & your blood pressure normalizes. While meditation may not be for everyone, we encourage you to research different types of mediation practices. You may be surprised.

Staying Organized

If you wake up with deadlines on your mind, a messy house and a less than organized schedule it may be time to start building up your organizational skills. Contrary to prior belief being organized really is a LEARNED skill. Getting organized can help prevent last-minute stressful situations and help you breeze through your day stress-free. Something as simple as picking out your outfit the night before can really help move your morning along! If you're just starting try and focus on getting your morning routine down first, it's the most important!

Spending time with friends

Is a girl's night in order? Spending time with close friends and family can help increase our sense of belonging, relieve stress & boost your self-confidence. Maintaining happy & positive relationships should rank incredibly high on your priority list as a necessary investment in your health. A healthy friendship is certainly a two-way street so make sure you confide in the friends that treat you with the compassion and respect you deserve.

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