Stress

Stress is a term used to describe the gap between the demands of a situation and a person's resources (whether biological, psychological or social). Positive or negative, big or small, stress is a disruption of your equilibrium. Being exposed to stress over an extended period of time can have serious side effects for your heart.

Stress and Your Heart

Psychosocial factors (or stress) may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis as well as to more acute effects such as heart attack and sudden cardiac death. Depression, anger, stress and other factors have been associated with cardiovascular problems. The link between stress and atherosclerosis can be direct - stress causes damage to the blood vessels. The effects may also be indirect - stress aggravates other risk factors.

Frequently, when we are "stressed out", we turn to unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, drinking and avoiding exercise. These behaviours make other risk factors like high cholesterol or hypertension get even worse. Stress, in other words, can become a vicious cycle.