How Stress Affects the Heart and What You Can Do About It
- Dawn C. Turner
- Feb 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 17
Stress. We have all experienced it at one point or another during our life. Stress is a common part of our everyday lives. In some ways, stress is useful. Short-term stress can motivate you, increase your mental clarity, help you reach goals, improve your resilience, and help define what matters most to you.
Chronic, or constant, stress, however, can have significant harmful impacts on our health. This is especially true when it comes to the heart. How does stress affect the heart? Can the damage already done be reversed? What steps can you take?
How Stress Affects the Heart
When under stress, our body releases hormones to help us. Two of those hormones are cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol is often called the “stress hormone.” Adrenaline is part of our “fight-or-flight” response. When we are stressed, adrenaline increases our blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. Our blood vessels will get smaller, and our heart works harder to direct blood to our more vital organs. When our cortisol levels spike, inflammation can damage our blood vessels which could lead to a buildup in plaque. Cortisol will also increase our blood pressure along with our blood sugar and cholesterol.
All the adrenaline and cortisol actions are normal responses to stress. The problem is when this happens too much, too often. Eventually, the harmful impacts begin to accumulate. And over time, too much stress may damage our heart, change the way our blood clots, and increase our risk for heart disease or stroke.
Moreover, a lot of people choose to deal with stress in unhealthy manners including smoking, drinking alcohol, or eating ‘comfort foods’ – all of which additionally increase our risk for heart disease or stroke. Once damage has begun, short-term stress can then also begin impacting your health.
Is the Damage Reversible?
If we are impacted by short-term stress, we can use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and exercise to help counteract the impacts of stress on our heart.
Ongoing, chronic stress, however, can cause lasting damage to the heart. It can be very difficult to backtrack and undo the damage. To aid us, we may have to make significant lifestyle changes so we can reduce the long-term impacts of stress on our heart.
Strategies for Decreasing Stress-Related Heart Damage
When used daily, stress management techniques such as mindfulness and deep breathing can help lower stress.
Self-care is important. Don’t just get rest, get enough rest. Seven to eight hours of sleep per night should be the goal. Focus on sleeping in a dark, cool, quiet room. And avoid snacks or exercise too close to bedtime. Eat healthy. Make time for hobbies. Find a good quality support system. This support system may include family, friends, or even mental health professionals.
Quit smoking, decrease or eliminate your alcohol intake, and maintain a healthy weight for your body type. Manage any underlying conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Stress can have significant harmful impacts on our health, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Chronic, ongoing stress requires dedicated lifestyle changes to protect your heart. Using stress management techniques, prioritizing self-care, and making heart-healthy choices can help decrease the damage stress can cause your heart.
If you are concerned about the effects of stress on your heart, consider speaking with your primary care provider. They can help you develop a personal plan to manage your stress and protect your heart health.
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