What are the impacts of stress and anxiety on heart health?

How does stress affect your body?

When you’re under stress, the body goes into what’s called ‘fight or flight’ mode. This is your body’s way of keeping you alert and ready to face a stressful or challenging event. Stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released, causing your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure to ​​rise. 

These physical symptoms usually pass once the stressful situation is over, but if they don’t or if you feel stressed frequently, the ongoing demand on your body can be great. Some research suggests that stress may be a contributing factor in several different physical illnesses, including heart ​​disease.

As many as one in 5 Australians say they’re experiencing high or very high levels of psychological ​distress.¹

What is the impact of anxiety on health?

On top of feeling very worried or anxious most of the time, anxiety can also cause physical symptoms. These include difficultly with concentration, muscle tension and disturbed sleep, as well as feeling ​​tired. 

Anxiety can also be a risk factor for developing ​​depression, and both anxiety and depression can have a negative impact on heart ​health.

While most people occasionally feel anxious, anxiety is when this feeling doesn’t pass. It’s Australia’s most common mental health condition, and one in 4 of us will experience anxiety at some stage in our ​​lives.²

How does stress affect heart health?

Long-term stress can affect how healthy your heart is in a few different ways. Recent research links high levels of stress hormones to being more likely to develop high blood ​​pressure, which is one of the major risk factors for heart ​​disease.

There’s also some evidence to suggest that stress may contribute to higher triglyceride ​levels. Triglycerides are a common type of fat in the body. When levels get too high, it can increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a fatty build-up in the arteries that can lead to heart attack or ​​stroke. 

Stress may also lead to chronic inflammation in the body, which again increases heart disease ​​risk. According to Katrina McGilchrist, care coordinator for Medibank’s Heart Health at Home program, that inflammation has other knock-on effects that impact heart health, too.

“As well as impacting things like our blood ​​pressure and our cholesterol ​levels, stress-related inflammation can also lead to joint aches and ​​pains,” says Katrina. 

“That can mean we’re less likely to ​​exercise or sleep ​well. And we know that when we miss out on sleep, it makes us less likely to make healthy food ​choices, and can affect physical activity ​levels.” 

On its own, poor sleep is a risk factor for cardiovascular ​​disease.

Recent Medibank research also shows that many of our preferred methods to destress may not be good for heart health, either. The research suggests ​​57​​​ per cent​ of us indulge in binge watching in response to stress, while 43​​​ per cent​ stress eat and 22​​​ per cent​ drink ​​excessively.³

“So, for a number of reasons, stress can increase the risk of making lifestyle choices that impact our heart health,” says Katrina. 

Can stress cause a heart attack?

Stress on its own may not directly trigger a heart ​attack. However, recent research does suggest that there’s a link between having higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and an increased risk of experiencing a heart attack, as well as other cardiovascular ​​events. 

Similarly, a recent study led by Australian researchers found that exposure to psychological stress, even mild stress, increased the risk of having a heart event, including a heart ​attack. 

Taking steps to manage your stress is not only critical for your mental ​health, it may also help to lower your risk of heart ​​disease and heart ​attack. 

​​How to manage work stress to support your heart health

Given the fact that many of us spend a third of our lives at ​​work, it’s not surprising that it can be a significant source of ​​stress. To help get it under control:

• Recognise when it’s becoming too much. Because some level of work-related stress affects ​everybody, it can be difficult to know when it’s taking too much of a toll. Take note if you:
  • no longer want to participate in meetings or work-related event
  • are taking more and more sick days or are regularly late getting to work 
  • are having trouble sleeping, including insomnia
  • are unable to concentrate or complete your tasks at work, due to feeling distracted or overwhelmed
  • get upset or angry more easily than ​usual.
• Talk to your employer. Work-related stress is a management issue, so if you feel like you need help, talk to your manager or the human resources manager at your work​​place.
• Practise self-help ​​techniques. Regardless of the source of your stress, there are some effective stress-reducing techniques you can try yourself. You can also approach your GP or a psychologist for ​​support.  

As well as doing what you can to keep on top of your stress levels, there are many other things you can do to ​​keep your heart healthy, including having a regular ​Heart Health Check. ​​A Heart Health Check is recommended at least once every 2 years for both men and women aged 45 years and over, or 30 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ​​peoples. Heart Health Checks are free of charge if you visit a GP clinic that bulk ​​bills this service.