How Does Anxiety Affect Your Heart? Protect Your Heart Health

First, you overslept. Then, you’re stuck in traffic. On top of everything, your laptop froze during that big presentation.

Anxiety is everywhere in American society, and with the non-stop noise from social media and 24-hour news, it’s more difficult than ever to escape tension. Exposure to long-term stress can have serious consequences. 

How does anxiety affect your heart? Should you be worried if you’re under intense pressure? 

We’ll break down all you need to know about the relationship between stress and your cardiac health. In addition, we’ll provide useful advice on what to do when your level of anxiousness becomes unmanageable.

How Does Anxiety Affect Your Heart?

Are you concerned that you may worry yourself into a heart attack? 

Anxiety can affect your heart in many different ways, including:

• Causing tachycardia, when your heart beats rapidly.
• Increasing your blood pressure, which places you at risk of heart disease.
• Causing inflammation from the stress “fight or flight” response. This damages the lining of your arteries.  
• Lowering levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can increase your risk of heart disease
• Those who are anxious may turn toward unhealthy habits–such as smoking or overeating–for comfort.

If you’ve previously had a heart attack, the trauma from the life-threatening event can further increase your anxiety, which starts a vicious cycle. 

Are You Stressed Out? You’re Not Alone

As we mentioned earlier, it’s almost impossible to escape the frantic demands of daily life, and Americans are more anxious than ever. 

Here are some statistics from the American Institute of Stress: on work-related stress.

• 55% of Americans reported some type of stress during the day
• 57% of Americans said they have felt “paralyzed” by stress
• Job-related stress was so intense that 63% of American workers were ready to resign
• 94% of American workers report feeling stressed at work

Stress and anxiety have quickly escalated to become a nationwide health crisis. 

4 Healthy Ways to Relieve Stress

How does anxiety affect your heart? We’ve reviewed that there are many ways. 

But if you’re stressed out all the time, you need relief from constantly feeling “on edge,” not just for the sake of your mental health, but for your heart health as well. 

We’ve compiled the following tips to help you:

Meditate to Take a Break

When anxiety makes your heart race, take a moment and breathe deeply. Meditation has proven beneficial in reducing negative thoughts and even lowering your blood pressure. Not sure where to begin? This helpful guide on meditation from the Mayo Clinic can help. 

Exercise for “Feel Good” Endorphins

We know you’ve heard about how good exercise is for your health, but did you realize that it can also provide extensive mental health benefits? By shifting your focus to an activity, you can recenter your thoughts.

Remember that you don’t have to run a 5K to get the benefits of exercise. The most important thing is to exercise regularly, whether that means playing a game of pickleball with friends or taking a walk on the beach. 

Don’t Isolate Yourself

It’s ironic: The time you really need to be around others is the time you feel like being alone. It’s far too easy to let anxiety isolate you from others, but often being around those you love and trust can go a long way toward easing your stress.

It may help to share your worries with a non-judgemental family member or friend who will support and encourage you. 

Seek Help From a Licensed Therapist or Psychiatrist

A psychotherapist or psychiatrist can help you by helping you develop healthy coping skills and providing the tools to help you face unplanned or anxious situations. A psychiatrist is also able to prescribe medication if other coping methods are not successful.

By implementing these changes, you can protect your heart health. 

Am I Having a Panic Attack or a Heart Attack?

Panic attacks are terrifying and can make you feel helpless and afraid. But telling the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack is difficult, and requires an evaluation from our board-certified cardiologists in Myrtle Beach and Horry County.

Because it’s so challenging to determine the difference, if you’re experiencing chest pain, you should go to the emergency room. Don’t take a chance and guess at the source of your symptoms. There’s too much at stake.

Conway Medical Center’s Heart Center Is Ready to Help Improve Your Heart Health

We’ve reviewed some ways that anxiety can affect your heart and some useful methods of coping. The bottom line is when you need a team to protect your cardiovascular system, we’ve got the leading experts at our Heart Center.

We’re proud that we’ve been recognized by The American College of Cardiology for our expertise in treating those with chest pain. We passed a rigorous, detailed evaluation to receive Chest Pain Center Accreditation. 

What does this mean for you? It means we’re ready to assist you when you need it most. If you’re facing intense anxiety and are afraid it’s affecting your heart health, then speak with your primary care physician about a referral to one of our cardiologists. Contact us for more information.

The information in this article and the other articles on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your healthcare provider.