stress and coronary heart disease

Stress is something we all have and a certain level is both normal and necessary to experience everyday life. It can help motivate you to meet new challenges and if balanced with relaxation it can be perfectly natural. Stress is not easy to define or measure.

It affects everyone in different ways and what is stress to one person is not to another.

However, stress can be harmful and increase your chance of developing heart disease if you do not manage it in the right way.

The Stress Response

Whenever we face any sort of stress or threat, our bodies prepare themselves to stand our ground and 'fight' the threat or to run away from it - 'flight'. In these circumstances adrenaline, a hormone which prepares the body to be active 'for fight or flight', is released from the adrenal glands.

Stress can trigger 'risky' behaviour for heart disease such as:

Smoking more.
Comfort eating and bingeing.
Drinking excessively.
Not taking enough physical activity.

Adrenaline

Causes the heart to beat more quickly and forcefully.
Diverts blood from the skin and gut to the muscles, ensuring all muscles are primed for action.
Releases extra fats and sugars into the blood to fuel muscles.
Raises blood pressure.

This 'fight and flight' response served our cavemen ancestors well when faced with predators to kill or run away from and continues to serve us well today as we may have to run away from a dangerous situation, like a speeding car, when trying to cross the road.

However, in situations of mental stress, the chemicals activated as a result of 'fight and flight' are not used up by physical activity. The heart pounds, the blood pressure remains high and the extra fats and sugar released into the bloodstream can damage the lining of the arteries. You can not run away from a difficult time, money worries, fear of redundancy, being out of work, a relationship crisis and feeling lonely but you can find ways of tackling your stress.

Some people are thought to be 'A' type personalities and addicted to the 'fight and flight' response. Some of their qualities may include being competitive, aggressive, impatient, never satisfied, always in a rush and are typical of the over-working male executive. This man is in fact a myth and you are more at risk of heart disease if you are in a job that does not challenge you, where you are not in control and feel yourself to have little value.

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