The connection between emotional stress and heart attacks is not clear-cut. Physical stress can be beneficial to cardiovascular health, but excessive physical work can cause heart failure. Emotional stress can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices that increase the likelihood of heart problems. Avoiding destructive lifestyle choices is a good way to reduce the chance of coronary artery disease.
Surprisingly, the connection between emotional stress levels and heart attacks may not be as clear-cut as one might believe. While it’s certainly a good idea to reduce both physical and emotional stress levels, the scenario of suffering a massive heart attack immediately after an emotionally stressful event is most likely more myth than fact. Stress in and of itself does not create a fatal heart condition.
If anything, a certain amount of physical stress, be it exercise or work-related, can actually be beneficial to cardiovascular health. The more a muscle is stimulated or exercised, the stronger it becomes. A reasonable amount of physical stress strengthens the heart muscles and should reduce the likelihood of a heart attack or other heart disease. However, if a weakened or diseased heart is overworked with excessive physical work, it can reach a point of failure. Physical stress, however, is not generally thought to be responsible for weakening the heart muscles or aggravating an existing heart condition.
Emotional stress, on the other hand, is often seen as a potential trigger for a coronary. Again, the direct connection between a person’s level of emotional distress and propensity for a coronary is tenuous at best. Rather, the effects of emotional stress can cause a person to make life-threatening or health-threatening choices that can in turn increase the likelihood of heart attacks later in life.
For example, emotional stress can cause a person to seek solace in an extremely unhealthy diet accompanied by a largely sedentary lifestyle. While stress itself doesn’t directly damage heart tissue, the cumulative effects of unhealthy foods and lack of exercise could lead to clogged arteries and poor cardiovascular conditioning. These conditions are more likely to contribute to dangerous blood clots or a weakening of the heart muscle itself and ultimately lead to heart problems and strokes.
Stress might also cause some people to engage in other high-risk behaviors, such as heavy drinking, cigarette smoking or habitual gambling. Combined with a flighty or defensive personality, a person may find themselves refusing to seek professional medical help. This could mean that vital warning signs for heart disease could go undiagnosed and untreated, which in turn could lead to heart attacks if the destructive life pattern continues unchecked.
While it cannot be said with certainty that physical or emotional stress directly contributes to heart attacks, it is fairly certain that avoiding the destructive lifestyle choices that stress can trigger is a good way to reduce the chance of coronary artery disease in the future.
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