How Stress Can Raise Your Risk for Stroke

It can seem reasonable to assume that stress “just” impacts your mood. You know that when you’re stressed, it can be harder to concentrate and easier to get frustrated.

But there’s much more that stress can do to your body — including raising your risk for stroke.

“There’s been mounting evidence suggesting stress as a risk factor for stroke,” says neurologist Irene Katzan, MD. “Psychological stress takes a toll on your body and affects you more than most people realize.”

Dr. Katzan explains how stress can set the stage for stroke and offers advice to help lower your risk.

How does stress increase your risk for stroke?

Sudden moments of intense stress can trigger a major health episode, like a stroke. What’s more, living with high levels of stress over time can be the domino at the beginning of a chain reaction that, ultimately, leads to stroke.

Note: If you or someone else is showing signs of a stroke, call 911 or emergency services in your area.

Let’s take a look at how stress relates to stroke risk.

Acute stress and stroke risk

Acute stress is what gives you that shaky, sweaty feeling that happens when you’re in the midst of a particularly upsetting moment. It can be brought on by things like a heated argument, a public speaking event or a near-miss on the road.

Research has suggested that feelings like anger or emotional upset — common experiences during moments of acute stress — may temporarily raise your risk for stroke.

Why?

“Acute stress can speed up your heart rate and cause a sudden spike in blood pressure,” Dr. Katzan explains.

That surge in blood flow can have severe effects, like dislodging blood clots or bursting weakened blood vessels, resulting in a stroke.

Of course, that’s not to say that any moment of intense stress immediately puts you in a stroke risk danger zone. But if you’re already at risk for stroke, a stressful event may further tip those scales.

Chronic stress and your stroke risk

Stress you feel in the moment may directly raise your stroke risk, but chronic stress can also play a role.

Many of the effects of chronic stress are the very things that raise your risk for stroke. Among them:

• Heart conditions: Over time, stress can raise your blood pressure, increase your heart rate and contribute to irregular heart rhythms — all of which are risk factors for stroke.
• Inflammation: When you live with high levels of stress, it can lead to chronic inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, can keep your heart and the rest of your body from working at their full potential. That can lay the groundwork for strokes and other serious medical events.
• Sleeplessness: Stress that keeps you tossing and turning can do more than make you reach for an extra-large coffee the next day. The damaging effects of sleep deprivation can include factors that raise your risk for stroke, like obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and more.
• Unhealthy behaviors: When you’re stressed, you can be more likely to engage in less-than-healthy habits that can also raise your risk for stroke. Among them: smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, neglecting to exercise, and eating more processed and sugary foods.

What’s more, stress can make it harder to manage any other chronic conditions you live with. And that can leave you vulnerable to serious complications.

“Stress, when combined with other health conditions, can trigger disease and major health events, like stroke,” Dr. Katzan says.

Taken together, these effects and others can raise your risk for atherosclerosis (a hardening of your arteries). That can allow blood clots to form. If those clots break off and travel to your brain, they cause an ischemic stroke — the most common kind.

Ways to manage stress and lower your risk of stroke

We all live with a certain amount of stress. And while some life friction is inescapable, there are strategies you can use to help lower the effects on your mind and body.

“As stress can lead to unhealthy behaviors, getting ahead of those behaviors is key to reducing your risk for stroke,” Dr. Katzan notes. “You can take steps to take the tension down a notch.”

Here are some simple ways to de-stress at work and home:

• Take a breather. Try breathwork and meditation to calm racing thoughts and give your body an oxygen boost.
• Exercise. Physical activity releases feel-good hormones that can lower your stress levels. What’s more, it’s good for your heart and weight management, which can help lower stroke risk. It doesn’t have to be anything extreme. Try gentle yoga or taking a walk.
• Eat well. Meal prep in advance to lower the pressure of daily decision-making. Choose lean proteins and plenty of fruits and vegetables to fuel your body well. And keep your alcohol intake low.
• Enhance your space. De-clutter your space and use plants and soft colors that promote a sense of peace. Turn on calming music to help enhance your mood.
• Seek support. A problem shared is a problem halved. Talking through your stress can help to unload the burden. Share your worries with a trusted friend, or seek support from a mental health care provider.

“The most important thing to remember is to zoom out every once in a while, avoid unhealthy behaviors, develop healthy eating habits and do some kind of physical activity every day,” Dr. Katzan encourages.

If you’re concerned that stress is affecting your mental or physical health, talk with a healthcare provider. They can help you find ways to better cope with stress to improve your day-to-day life and lower your risk for serious medical conditions.