The Heart & Vascular Center

     National estimates for health care costs associated with stress-related illnesses range from $100 to $150 billion per year.  Some experts point to stress as the #1 health problem facing this country today.  Stress can result in lost productivity, higher  medical bills, and increased absenteeism.

     Existing scientific data succinctly draws this conclusion: controlling unnecessary stress may be the most important key to  preventing heart attacks - and heart attacks can kill.

     How do you know if stress is taking a toll on your health?  How does stress affect our bodies?  Can stress be considered a risk factor for heart disease? The answers to these questions lie in a better understanding of stress itself with a review of the
findings.

     Not all stress is bad.  The "right amount" challenges us and compels us to stay in the game and live life to the fullest.  Stress becomes a burden when we respond to it by feeling that we are losing control in our lives.  Feeling helpless is one of the
key ingredients to feeling stressed. 

     There is also a difference between physical and mental stress.  During physical stress such as exercise, our blood vessels open up to allow more blood and oxygen to reach the necessary muscles and organs that are working for us.  Under mental stress, our blood vessels actually clamp down depriving our vital organs and muscles of life-giving nutrients.

     Physical signs of stress can include: anger, anxiety, sleeplessness, headaches, muscle tension, gastrointestinal discomfort, etc...  However, there are other physical reactions that we do not always feel such as the body's release of stress chemicals into our blood stream, a rise in our blood pressure and heart rate, and an unconscious "fight or flight" response.

     Increased blood pressure can result from 3 reasons:

     1.  The heart increasing its output by beating harder and faster.
     2.  Our arteries constricting to allow less room for blood flow.
     3.  Both of the above.

     Longterm periods of high blood pressure lead to increased risk for premature heart attacks, stroke, and blockages in our peripheral blood vessels such as our legs, kidneys, and brain. 

     The release of stress-related chemicals, known as adrenaline and cortisol, can stimulate two responses from our bodies.  The release of adrenaline is called the "acute alarm" response which gives us strength to "fight" the problem at hand.  The release of cortisol is called the "chronic vigilance" response and provides endurance to "flee" the problem or problems creating the stress.

     These two responses are nature's way of protecting us from harm, but when we overreact to stress we are spending a $1 worth of energy for a dime's worth of trouble.  Chronic levels of stress chemicals in our system can create a number of problems for our hearts.

     1.  Adrenaline and cortisol raise blood pressure.
     2.  Excess adrenaline and cortisol literally damage our artery walls.
     3.  Adrenaline increases the stickiness of blood platelets, cortisol increases the number of 
     platelets. Therefore, both aid plaque buildup which leads to atherosclerosis - the predecessor to 
     heart disease.
     4.  Excess adrenaline can over-contract and rupture heart muscle fibers.
     5.  Excess cortisol can raise cholesterol and cause a lack of potassium which helps the heart beat 
     strongly.
     6.  Both chemicals help produce blood clots (which can be fatal if they find their way to a 
     narrowed opening in one of your heart arteries).
     7.  A sudden rush of adrenaline can cause a spasm in an artery which can cause it to temporarily 
     close.

     Once we understand the cause and effects of stress, we must learn to manage it.  In the words of international stress expert, Dr. Robert Eliot, we must learn "to make stress work for us - not against us." There are a number of books and resource materials that address managing and coping with stress.  Here at the Heart Center, we stock many of these in our community resource library.  Periodically, we offer lectures on this subject as a community service.