Ladies, Take Stress Relief To Heart

Every day of our lives we face events that cause us stress. Although most of these events are minor in the grand scheme of things, even small things can add up day after day. It’s important to keep in mind that stress isn’t just mental. In fact, when you’re faced with stress, you’ll likely to feel your heart pound, your stomach tense and your muscles tighten.

Stress and your heart

When you feel stressed, this causes a negative chain reaction within your body. If you're angry, anxious, tense, frustrated, frightened, or depressed, your body's natural response is to release stress hormones.

These hormones include cortisol and adrenaline. They prepare your body to deal with stress. They cause your heart to beat more rapidly and your blood vessels to narrow to help push blood to the center of the body. These hormones also increase your blood pressure. This “fight or flight” response is thought to date back to prehistoric times, when we needed the extra burst of adrenaline to escape predators.

After your stress subsides, your blood pressure and heart rate should return to normal. However if you're continually stressed, your body doesn't have a chance to recover. This may lead to damaging effects on your artery walls. Although it is not clear that stress alone causes high blood pressure or heart disease, it can increase your risk and it can impact your general wellness.

Get serious about stress relief
As one of the most common and deadly conditions, heart disease is a serious risk to women. The majority of women between the ages of 40 and 60 have at least one risk factor for the disease. On top of this, many women face chronic stress, which can further increase their risk for the disease. But many may not realize it.

The groundwork to prevent heart disease can start anytime. By incorporating healthy lifestyle behaviors, and taking the time to adapt stress relieving techniques and behavior, you are not only promoting a healthy heart, but overall health and well-being. Here are some easy ways to beat stress:

Avoid unnecessary changes in your life. Instead, reserve what energy you do have for dealing with the stressor at hand. If possible, try to make your work and home environments stable while working out the primary problem.

Quiet your mind. In times of stress, the mind makes things appear worse than they are by creating endless versions of approaching disaster. Because the body can't tell the difference between fact and fantasy, it responds with a greater physical response.

Keep in the present. You can calm both your mind and your body by keeping your mind in the present. The present is hardly ever as stressful as an imagined future or past full of regret. To keep your mind in the present, center your attention on your breathing, a sound or visual pattern, a repetitive movement, or meditation.

Bravely and aggressively face the stressor. Resist any temptation to ignore whatever is causing stress. Instead, carefully think about the seriousness of the problem without blowing it out of proportion. Ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that is realistically likely to happen?" Then remind yourself of all the good things that will still be a part of your life even if the worst happens. In addition, confirm your view of the stressor by talking with others. Make a special effort to speak to family, friends, or co-workers who have dealt with similar experiences.

Review your coping responses. Confidence is helpful in fighting stress and it builds on memories of past successes. Review successes you've had with other stressful life situations. Recall some of the exact things you did to cope.

Take action. Commit yourself to a reasonable course of action to deal with whatever is causing you stress. Action is powerful in helping you to reduce stress. Research shows that the body lowers the amount of epinephrine, a powerful stress hormone, when a person shifts into action. Don't avoid taking action because you fear you'll make the wrong decision. Remind yourself that there are many different ways of successfully dealing with a stressful situation.

Take time out to relax. At least once or twice a day, take time to calm down by relaxing. Some suggestions are listening to your favorite music, taking a walk, gardening, reading, or exercising. You could also choose to do more formal relaxation like deep breathing or meditation.

Your heart is in good hands

Life is too short to feel overwhelmed by stress or to overlook the health of your heart. By practicing stress relief techniques and other healthy lifestyle behaviors, you are investing in yourself. Rest assured, though, you are not alone when it comes to heart disease prevention and heart health. With experienced specialists, an extensive number of services and a commitment to compassionate care, Gwinnett Medical Center’s cardiovascular program will ensure that you receive the best care possible. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 7 Worst Foods For Vaginal Health

Image
As if you needed another reason to eat healthier, especially with the start of a new year. Turns out, though, eating a balanced diet not only supports weight loss, boosted energy and improved digestion, it also helps to maintain vaginal health.  According to Sheila Warren, RN, women's health navigator at Gwinnett Medical Center, everything from discomfort and cramping to infection prevention and sexual function can be impacted by your diet.  The truth is, your vagina already does a miraculous job maintaining its overall health and cleanliness. For better or worse, though, the foods you eat do play a powerful role in your health down there. For instance, eating fish rich in omega-3s and probiotic-rich foods help to support the health of your lady parts. While this doesn't mean that you need to drastically change your diet, after all, many of these foods are very nutritious, it's important to know if the foods you eat are helping or hurting your vaginal health: Sw
Read more

7 Surprising Things That Make Your Hands & Feet Fall Asleep

Image
There’s nothing more annoying than when your hand, foot or (insert other appendage) starts tingling and eventually goes numb—you know the feeling. And what’s even worse—the pins and needles you feel as you try desperately to revive circulation and blood flow. This familiar feeling, often referred to as a body part falling asleep, is actually just a result of pressure or compression. In medical terms, you’re experiencing paresthesia. Thankfully, though, this condition usually only lasts for a matter of seconds or minutes. But what happens when no amount of shaking or wiggling can get the pins and needles to stop? Tingling sensations in the hands and feet for extended periods of time may be a symptom of an underlying condition. Here are some of the most common culprits: You have a pinched nerve in your neck or back. Often times, a painful, tingling sensation that extends from your neck or back into your feet may be a sign of a pinched nerve. While this is typically the result of
Read more

Appendicitis vs. Pancreatitis: What You Need To Know

Image
On the one hand, your digestive tract does some amazing stuff—like breaking down food and liquid to help nourish cells and provide you with energy. However, on the other hand, your digestive tract also does some not so amazing stuff—like producing gallstones, acid reflux, bloating, gas and constipation—and that’s just the beginning. In all seriousness, though, you likely experience one or more of these tummy troubles daily. But when is that daily stomach struggle actually something more? (Like it is for millions of people). And what should you do about it? When it’s not just stomach pain… While appendicitis may not be your first thought when your stomach hurts, there’s a reason it’s still the most common type of stomach emergency, right along with acute pancreatitis . Now, if you thought these conditions were basically the same thing, you’re not alone. Here’s a quick look at their key differences: What is appendicitis ? Your appendix is just a little guy—about
Read more