Stress & the heart
Everyone experiences stress in their life, be that being late for work, a job interview, family, or financial worries. It is almost unavoidable, but it is when we do not learn to control our stress that it can have serious issues on our health, in particular, our heart.
When we experience stress our body’s sympathetic nervous system is activated, this is the system commonly known for the ‘fight or flight response’. In response, the hormone epinephrine, more commonly known as adrenaline, is released. This causes an increase in heart rate and respiratory rate, resulting in increased blood pressure. As the experience of stress continues the hormone, cortisol is released, causing an increase in blood cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
Normally once the stress has passed, hormone levels will return to normal and your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels. However, if stress is experienced over an extended period hormone levels remain evaluated. As a result, the constant increase in heart rate and blood pressure can increase the risk of hypertension, heart attack or stroke.
Furthermore, it is thought that repeated short-term stress may also increase the chance of heart attack by causing inflammation in the coronary arteries.
It is also the habits we pick up to cope with stress such as smoking, eating junk food, not being physically active and alcohol consumption that also increases the risk of heart diseases.
So, what can you do?
Get exercising!
This will reduce the levels of adrenaline and cortisol, lowering your blood pressure, improving your cholesterol, and reducing your blood sugar level. Exercise will also stimulate the production of endorphins ‘happy hormones’, that elevate mood.
What exercise should I do and how often?
A recent study has found that the amount of exercise needed to manage stress fit with the current NHS health guidelines. The NHS recommends for adults aged 19-64, you should aim to:
· Exercise every day.
· With 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week.
· With 2 days a week being activities to increase muscular strength.
For example, you could do 20 minutes of brisk walking for 5 days and then 2 days of yoga. Remember you do not need to dive headfirst, you could start by doing 10 minutes of brisk walking followed by a short rest and then another 10 minutes and build this up to 15 minutes without rest and then 20 minutes without rest, etc.
Start where you are comfortable and progress, it does not have to be intense. Do something you enjoy; you may love walking your dog or dancing. Doing something you enjoy will make it more fun and you are more likely to continue doing it. You could do your exercise with friends if that makes it more enjoyable and you are less likely not to turn up!
If you are stuck with where to start, here are some examples:
Adapted from https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/
The main thing is to have fun while making yourself feel good, staying healthy and stress-free.
Get your sleep!
Insufficient sleep can increase stress levels. We should on average try to get 6–9 hours’ sleep per night. However, studies have shown adults who sleep fewer than 8 hours a night report higher stress levels than those who sleep at least 8 hours a night.
If you are struggling to sleep you could try relaxation techniques such as yoga stretches, listening to meditation tapes or calming music and practising deep breathing.
In fact, exercise can help you sleep as well as de-stress, just 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day has shown improvements in sleep quality.
Look after your nutrition!
Some foods reduce the body’s ability to deal with stress, so it is best to reduce the amount of these certain foods in our diet:
· Caffeine- caffeine acts as a stimulant and increases the levels of hormones that are already elevated such as cortisol, exacerbating the negative effects such as high blood pressure. You could try substituting coffees and teas for de-caffeinated or herbal varieties.
· Food high in sugar- Sugar may provide a temporary energy burst, relieving stress, however, shortly after blood sugar levels crash causing a low period that can increase irritability, often associated with stress.
· Alcohol – It is common to have a drink after a stressful day and it may seem that it has a calming effect. However, the rise in adrenaline and blood sugar caused by alcohol consumption can cause sleep problems and irritability which in the long term can increase stress.
Instead, try to eat a diet full of these four essentials:
· Fresh fruit and vegetables, to increase nutrients and minerals.
· Whole unprocessed carbohydrates, to increase levels of serotonin 14.
· Foods containing essential fatty acids such as salmon, tuna, or walnuts, to lower hormones associated with stress.
· Calcium such as yoghurt, leafy greens, or broccoli as they are thought to reduce muscle tension and anxiety.
For example, you could try Salmon and roasted vegetables with brown rice, with yoghurt for dessert or a cheese and tuna toastie on wholemeal bread with a piece of fruit. There are a wide range of meals you could create including these four essentials according to your own preferences.
So, exercise more, sleep more and eat better and watch the stress fly away!
“Add life to your years & years to your life”
Written by Hope Parish,
Hope, has just finished her second year in Human Biosciences at the University of Exeter.
References
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