Stress is a part of life, but did you know it could be harming your heart? 

Some researchers estimate that chronic stress increases the risk of heart disease by as much as 60% – a serious concern, given that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide.

Luckily, you can take steps to reduce stress and protect your health. To better understand how, we spoke with Faith Solomon, Family Nurse Practitioner and Medical Director at Nice Healthcare, who has 15 years of healthcare experience.

Keep reading to learn: 

• How chronic stress affects the cardiovascular system

• Who’s most at risk for stress-related heart trouble

• Practical tips to de-stress and protect your health

How Can Stress Cause Heart Problems?

Stress doesn’t just affect your mood. It can leave a lasting impression on your body, causing changes in your cardiovascular system over time.

“Stress is like debt that your body is accumulating,” Solomon says. “And it eventually demands payment from your body through the manifestation of health issues like heart disease.”

Understanding the Stress Response

To varying degrees, stress – whether from work, financial worries, or a late-night encounter with a ferocious-looking raccoon – triggers a fight-or-flight response in your body. This is your body’s way of preparing to meet danger, even if the "threat" is just a never-ending to-do list.

This natural stress response starts in an area of your brain called the hypothalamus, which signals the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help you react quickly. These hormones cause immediate physiological changes, such as:

• Faster heart rate to pump blood where it’s needed most

• Constricted blood vessels and increased blood pressure to get oxygen to your muscles

• Inflammation as the body prepares itself for potential injury

• A spike in blood sugar for a quick burst of energy 

This response is helpful in short bursts – such as, when you need to slam on the brakes to avoid a car accident. But when stress is ongoing, your body stays in overdrive, putting long-term strain on your heart and blood vessels.

Short-Term Stress

Short-term (acute) stress is temporary and resolves once the situation ends, although it can still affect your heart. A prime example of this is called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken heart syndrome. 

Broken heart syndrome is a temporary condition in which extreme stress–such as shock or grief–weakens the heart muscle, often mimicking the symptoms of a heart attack. 

Heart attacks work similarly, Solomon says, although there are many other risk factors–some of which chronic stress amplifies.

Chronic Stress

When it comes to other forms of heart disease, chronic stress is often a greater concern. Chronic stress is long-lasting and keeps your body in constant fight-or-flight mode, which it wasn’t designed to handle, Solomon says. 

Over time, higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline can contribute to higher risks of the following:

High blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol

As mentioned above, stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol cause blood vessels to constrict and the heart to beat faster. Over time, this puts extra strain on the heart and can weaken artery walls.

Chronic stress also keeps blood sugar levels elevated, which can contribute to metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes – both of which increase your risk of heart disease. 

Stress can lead to higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well, further impacting heart health.

Inflammation in arteries

Chronic stress also fuels systemic inflammation, a major driver of heart disease. Recent research confirms that stress activates your amygdala (a major emotion processing center), which in turn signals your bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. 

While this is meant to help your body fight threats, it can also:

• Damage artery walls

• Increase plaque buildup in your arteries

• Raise your risk of heart attacks

Unhealthy coping mechanisms

To make matters worse, when stress feels overwhelming, many people develop habits that further increase cardiovascular risk, such as:

• Smoking: Nicotine raises heart rate and blood pressure, and damages arteries.

• Overeating or poor diet: Stress can cause cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods, which contribute to weight gain, high cholesterol, and diabetes–all known heart disease risk factors.

• Inadequate sleep: Chronic stress disrupts sleep patterns, which research has linked to increased heart disease risk.

• Lack of exercise: Stress-induced fatigue can make it harder to stay active, weakening heart health.

Heart attacks and other cardiovascular events

So, can you get heart disease from stress, directly? The answer may be yes.

Aside from amplifying the above risk factors, an ongoing stress response in the body increases the activity of platelets, which are usually thought of as cells that help blood clot. When overactive, they can accumulate, more easily forming clots that block arteries–potentially leading to heart problems. 

Furthermore, if you have an existing heart condition, stress can accelerate the progression of the disease.

Who’s Most at Risk?

You may be more susceptible to the negative impacts of stress on your heart if:

• You have a family history of heart disease: Chronic stress can act as a trigger, further increasing your risks of or exacerbating existing conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Solomon says.

• You’re in your senior years: Older adults' cardiovascular systems are more vulnerable, and chronic stress exacerbates age-related heart and blood vessel changes, 

• You experienced intense stress early in life: Studies show chronic stress that starts earlier in life can have long-term consequences, leading to more stress and subsequent health problems.

• You’re female: “Some research suggests that women may be more vulnerable to the negative cardiovascular effects of stress, especially during hormonal fluctuations like menopause,” Solomon notes.

However, some studies show that while women may be more vulnerable to the consequences of stress, men can be more prone to acute stress effects, such as heart attacks.

Signs Stress May Be Harming Your Heart

According to Solomon, “There are overt signs that make us think, ‘Okay, there's definitely something going on with your heart.’” These signs might be:

• Blood pressure that's difficult to control

• Elevated cholesterol or blood sugar levels

• Chest pain or tightness

• Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat

• Shortness of breath

However, there are much more subtle signs that also can be indicators of stress-induced heart health issues. Some of these include:

• Fatigue or low energy

• Difficulty sleeping

• Trouble concentrating

• Digestive issues

• Muscle tension

• Chronic headaches or migraines

• Jaw, back, or other chronic muscular pain

Some of these signs overlap with other medical issues, such as depression, anxiety, or chronic pain syndrome. 

“That's why it's important to have a good health history taken with your provider, just to get to the bottom of your symptoms,” Solomon says. 

“It takes a dedicated clinician who should not just take it at surface value, but do a little bit of digging to understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ that presents.”

Tips to Reduce Stress and Protect Your Heart

The good news is: by making some intentional changes, you can experience more calm and lower your risk of developing heart problems. Here are Solomon’s top tips.

Check In with Yourself.

“Sometimes we get so busy in our day-to-day, we really fail to be aware of what's going on with ourselves,” Solomon says. So the first step to tackling chronic stress is to check in with yourself and gauge where you stand on your own “stressometer.”

Take a mindful moment and simply rate your stress on a scale of 1-10, 1 being little to no stress, 10 being the maximum level of overwhelm.

If possible, identify what’s causing your stress; you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.

Talk to Your Healthcare Provider.

After the mindful moment, Solomon urges us to reach out for support.

“Sometimes we feel embarrassed to talk about stress,” she says. It’s critical to connect with a clinician who’s a good listener, who can help connect the dots between your symptoms, and equip you with coping skills. 

Along with an in-depth health history assessment, your provider can:

• Monitor critical heart health indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress hormone levels

• Provide personalized stress management strategies 

• Refer you for mental health support if needed

If your clinician refers you to a mental health therapist, that therapist can further help you with a customized stress management plan, as well as:

• Motivational interviewing: This is a technique “used by providers to help the patients identify their goals and what motivates them towards change,” Solomon says.

• Setting boundaries: If specific people or situations in your life are contributing to your stress, learning to set healthy boundaries can be a powerful stress reliever.

Your clinician might also refer you to a physical therapist, who can be especially helpful if your stress is manifesting as physical tension or pain.

Try Stress Management Techniques.

Other simple daily practices can further help regulate your nervous system and lower stress levels:

• Deep breathing: Techniques like box breathing (inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, holding for 4) can quickly reduce heart rate and blood pressure.

• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR): Tensing and then relaxing muscle groups helps release built-up tension in the body.

• Mindfulness meditation: Studies show even 10 minutes of meditation a day can lower stress hormone levels and reduce inflammation.

Get Moving.

Exercise is one of the best defenses against stress, Solomon says. “[It] boosts endorphins, the body's natural mood lifters.” Not to mention, physical activity strengthens and improves cardiovascular function. 

The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.

Get More Sleep.

“Chronic stress can lead to poor sleep, and poor sleep can further increase stress–creating a cycle that negatively impacts heart health,” Solomon says. 

For better mental and physical well-being, aim for at least seven hours of quality rest every night.

Try mindful eating.

Stress can also contribute to poor eating habits, further increasing inflammation and cortisol levels. Solomon recommends eating more intentionally and attentively to prevent stress-driven overeating and support better digestion.

How Nice Can Help

Stress may be unavoidable, but how you manage it can make a major difference in your heart health. What Solomon has found to be most effective is taking an integrated approach.

One example she shares: A patient came to Nice Healthcare struggling with insomnia and chronic neck pain. Instead of simply treating the symptoms, our team took a whole-person approach:

• Physical therapy to relieve the neck pain

• Mental health support to offer stress management techniques

• Primary care monitoring to ensure long-term improvement

As a result, the patient’s symptoms resolved without medication because our team addressed the root cause: stress. And with a family history of heart disease, managing this stress early helped lower the patient’s long-term risk.

Comprehensive, Convenient Care at Your Fingertips

At Nice, we make high-quality, personalized care easy and accessible. Our virtual and in-home visits make it effortless to:

• Discuss concerns with a clinician from the comfort of your home

• Get diagnostic testing and expert guidance

• Receive ongoing support in primary care, mental health, and physical therapy–all under one roof

This is what makes our model unique, explains Solomon. We have clinicians with multiple specialties, all “rolling up their sleeves, trying to help patients and improve their outcomes”–without having to refer to multiple practices, where folks can fall through the cracks or get lost to follow up.

To see how Nice can help you minimize the impact of stress on heart health, schedule a virtual visit today. 

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