For years it has been “common knowledge” that people who are under a lot of stress have an increased risk of heart disease. But is this common knowledge correct? And if so, what kind of stress increases the risk of heart disease and what can be done about it?
Sorting out the effect of stress on the heart was tradionally made complicated by three factors: 1) people mean different things by "stress;" 2) the kind of stress people think causes heart disease may not be the worst kind; 3) scientific evidence that stress causes heart disease has been sparse.
The third of these factors however, is now changing following scientific research.
Emotional stress and heart disease
A study at UCL on 34 men, found that 14 of them had symptoms which were preceded by acute stress, anger and depression.
It is something to do with the way particular people react to emotional stress
Andrew Steptoe (British Heart Foundation)
The volunteers were given a series of stressful tasks to do, including imagining stressful situations and making a speech. Measurements were then taken of their blood pressure and chemistry.
It was found that some of the indivduals reacted differently with their body unable to cope as well with the induced stress.
Lead researcher for the BHF Andrew Steptoe said, "What this study does is to provide some information about the biology underpinning that response and why it is that certain people may be vulnerable."
"It is something to do with the way particular people react to emotional stress."
What can be done?
A number of relaxation techniques exist to help the natural unwinding of the stress response. Your GP may refer you to a stress management specialist who can teach you some relaxation techniques, including:
Deep breathing; taking deep breaths is an effective technique for winding down.
Relaxing your muscles; sitting anywhere, relax your shoulders, let your arms drop to your side, rest your hands on top of your thighs, relax your legs (don't forget your jaw muscles) and breathe deeply.
Passive stretches; Allow gravity to help you, relax your neck, let your head fall forward to the right as you breathe slowly.
Visualisation; Remember a relaxing place like a lakeside picnic or a beautiful beach scene and picture it in your mind.
Meditation; quiet the mind and relax your thoughts...think of a pleasant scene and pray!
