Understanding the Connection Between Stress and Heart Disease

Chronic stress can trigger heart problems like chest pain and inflammation. And that probably doesn’t come as a surprise. From traffic jams to job interviews, you’ve likely been in more than one situation that made you feel like your heart was about to leap out of your chest.

Cardiologists Dennis Bruemmer, MD, and Luke Laffin, MD, explain the relationship between stress and heart disease.

How stress impacts heart disease

Chronic stress (ongoing, long-lasting stress) has the potential to cause cardiovascular disease — both directly and indirectly. For many people, chronic stress:

• Interferes with sleep: Rest plays a critical role in heart health. Studies show that sleep deprivation increases inflammation and ramps up production of artery-clogging plaques. It’s also associated with chronic conditions, like diabetes and depression, that raise your risk for heart disease.
• Stimulates weight gain: Stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, increase your appetite and slow your metabolism. Weight gain can lead to conditions that cause heart disease, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
• Encourages negative coping behaviors: Some people respond to emotional stress by engaging in risky activities, like smoking, drinking and substance use, all of which increase the risk of developing heart disease.

8 ways stress impacts your heart

Chronic stress produces hormonal changes that, over time, can impact the structure and function of your cardiovascular system, causing (or worsening) heart disease.

Of course, stress is a normal and expected part of daily life. A little stress can even be good for you. That’s because your body is designed to handle challenging situations when they arise.

“Stress sparks your ‘fight-or-flight’ response, flooding your body with hormones like adrenaline and cortisol,” Dr. Bruemmer explains. “Your body focuses on doing what it has to do to survive in the moment and slows down other processes, like digestion, to free up more energy.”

Stress starts to have a negative impact on your body when it doesn’t let up.

“When stress is constant, your body remains in alert mode,” Dr. Laffin adds. “And perpetually high levels of stress hormones can trigger physiological changes, including changes to your heart.”

Stress has the potential to:

• Increase inflammation
• Compromise your immune system
• Raise your heart rate
• Reduce your heart rate variability
• Provoke heart palpitations
• Increase your blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol
• Speed up plaque production in your arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Trigger angina, stroke, broken heart syndrome or a heart attack

Signs stress is affecting your heart

If you occasionally experience the following symptoms of chronic stress, Dr. Laffin recommends seeing your primary care provider or cardiologist to rule out a heart condition:

• Heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• An irregular or fast heartbeat
• Chest pain or tightness

(If you’re experiencing all of these symptoms all at once, call emergency services. These could be signs of a medical emergency.)

How to manage stress for your heart

Finding out that the stress in your life is negatively impacting your heart is, in a word, stressful. But there’s good news: Learning how to better manage your stress won’t just make you feel better — but it could improve your cardiovascular health, too!

“We can all relate to being burnt out, depleted and stressed,” Dr. Bruemmer empathizes. “But it doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it.”

There are many different mindfulness techniques — like meditation or breathwork — that you can use to better manage stress and prevent cardiovascular disease. These techniques are most effective when they’re paired with other good health behaviors, he explains.

“Getting enough sleep, eating right, exercising and maintaining an active social life makes us feel better equipped to handle stressful situations,” says Dr. Bruemmer. “Depending on your circumstances, you may benefit from working with a therapist or attending a support group, too.”

Whatever stress management techniques you choose, you’ll need to practice them regularly.

“Stress management needs to become part of your daily routine, like bathing, brushing your teeth and taking your medication,” advises Dr. Laffin. “But the time you invest is worth it. Learning proper coping skills means that — when the next big stressor happens — it will be less likely to take a toll on your health.”