Yes, stress can drive you into a coronary. Chronic worry can aggravate your arteries into all kinds of distress, the kind you really want to avoid if living is a high priority for you.
Chronic worry can both cause and aggravate heart conditions. Heart problems and worry are deadly companions and go hand in glove when you are a worry wart. When you realize that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US- one in three Americans will die of heart disease- it’s enough to make you sit up, take notice, and want to get rid of your worrying nature.
There are enough studies to show that worry and stress do play a part in the start of heart disease. It’s a given that high blood pressure is influenced by repeated and ongoing stress. Worry episodes leave you with your heart ‘racing’ and ‘pounding’ and you aren’t feeling that way for nothing. It is also very important for you to understand that when you are diagnosed with a heart problem, your stress can make it worse, much worse. Heart problems tend to run in families. If you have an inherited tendency, you are really going to have to be careful.
You probably have already experienced irregular heart beats and chest pains when your anxiety is through the ceiling. You feel like your chest is going to jump out of your body. You’re under pressure. Your body thinks it has to get revved up and ready for action. When this goes on for a long time and your worry keeps shadowing you, you start to get signals that something is wrong from your body. Listen closely.
Here are the chronic worry and stress symptoms which should get your attention if you are having them. Your heart health is at risk if these stress signals continue on:
Physical alerts:
Aches and pains that can’t be diagnosed, grinding your teeth, clenching your jaw,
constant muscle tension, indigestion, bowel problems, racing heart, ringing in ears,
sweating excessively, exhaustion, trembling, shaking, insomnia, pacing , restlessness,
irritability, pressure headaches, shortness of breath, and the list goes on.
Mental alerts:
Constant worry, difficulty concentrating, forgetting, checking and rechecking,
having insistent thoughts popping out of nowhere, worry about thoughts,
mentally going over situations again and again, poor memory, suicidal thoughts, guilt
which keeps bothering you, reliving past failures, inability to accept ending relationship,
anger which keeps growing, fear of dying, and the list goes on.,
Emotional Alerts:
Irritability, crying, feeling out of control, frequent negative thinking, feeling
constant nervousness, sense of being pressured, anxiety, scared feelings,
terror of what could happen, sadness, terror, feeling intimidated, impending feeling of
doom, futile feelings combined with hopelessness, powerless feelings, and the list goes
on.
Behavior alerts:
Compulsive eating or drinking, pacing, screaming and yelling, refusing to
participate in activities, leaving places abruptly, acting wildly, increased
use of alcohol, drugs, avoiding people, afraid to sleep, unable to sit still, refusal to
exercise, smoking despite health warnings, quick weight increases (or losses), stoping
activity when out of breath, hard time climbing stairs, avoidance of physical check-up,
eating fast foods frequently, eating fatty foods, poor sleep habits, snoring, and the list
goes on.
Heart disease is a major illnesses. You are probably going to get it if you keep getting all riled up, all tied up in knots. Living with chronic anxiety and worry can set in motion the physical conditions for a major heart attack. You need to listen to this, whether it be for you or someone you love.
You are the Anxiety Master. You are the person who is worried what could happen to your child or spouse if there is even any hint of a physical or emotional problem. You hold the record for thinking of what can go wrong and what a catastrophe it will be in your life if illness and disease strike. So it is a practical matter for you to realize that when you let anxiety rule your life, you are tempting fate.
If you think you could have any beginning symptoms of a heart attack, the first thing you need to do is get a complete physical. If you think you are having any symptoms now, go directly to the emergency room. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.00. Get thyself to a place where they can do an immediate EKG and find out if you are at immediate risk. If you are, do whatever you are told to do to save your life.
I know that if you are reading this you are already worried about yourself or someone you love having heart problems. This is nothing to kid around about. You are important, your health is important, and you have to realize that you can take steps to improve your odds to stay healthy for a long time. Remember, if you have a heart attack, there will be residual damage to deal with. Prevention is your game so get in it now, for the sake of your heart.
More to come about how to deal with your worry in future blogs.
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