If you are like most women, you juggle many roles at once-mother, wife, daughter, employee, boss, community volunteer, chauffeur, cook, and social director. The list of responsibilities can be overwhelming; it is no surprise that many feel frazzled about the task of keeping all these balls in the air. The bad news is that stress not only affects us emotionally, but can be taxing on the cardiovascular system as well!

A recent study of 40,000 men and women participating in a worksite health program examined the effect of different risk factors on the development of coronary heart disease. The authors of the study wanted to find out which characteristics were more common in the people who developed coronary heart disease compared to those who did not. It probably will not surprise you to find out that people who developed coronary heart disease were more likely to be smokers, have high cholesterol, obesity, poor exercise habits and high blood glucose. However, you might be surprised to find out that they also reported high levels of stress in their lives. This discovery appeared to be more prevalent among women because one out of four reported high stress compared to one out of six men. 

The idea linking emotions to cardiovascular disease was first introduced by studies that associated a Type A personality with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Subsequent studies clarified this relationship by reporting that hostility or anger, a component of type A personalities, is a powerful predictor of coronary heart disease. Depression, another emotion linked to the development of heart disease, can have an even greater impact on your health if you already have heart disease and become depressed. Hopeless feelings, worry, and lack of social support have also been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and death from coronary heart disease. 

How does stress, depression, or anger affect the cardiovascular system? The activation of the sympathetic nervous system that drives our "fight or flight" response can increase blood pressure and heart rate and may increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms. In addition, an increase in the tendency of blood to form clots in an artery feeding the heart could result in a heart attack. The presence of stress or depression in our lives may also reduce our ability or willingness to make healthy lifestyle choices such as finding the time and energy for regular exercise, choosing the right foods, taking prescribed medication regularly or giving up cigarettes. 

Controlling stress and depression are important components of risk reduction for cardiovascular disease. As the busy holiday season looms ahead, take some time now to find ways to manage or omit some of your stress-related activities and maintain your commitment to healthy lifestyle choices. It might not only enhance your enjoyment of the holidays, but it may enhance your cardiovascular health as well! 


Resources for more information:
http://www.americanheart.org/hbp/
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/index.html (information on the DASH diet)