Blood Pressure
Stress & Heart Health
What happens to the heart during stress?
During a stress or anger response, the body’s sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is stimulated and the hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine, are released. These hormones cause the heart rate to increase and the demands for oxygen to heighten. When the delivery of oxygen to heart tissue is temporarily unmet, symptoms such as chest pain (angina) can result. In response to the SNS and the growing oxygen demands, the blood vessels constrict; this constriction in turn leads to elevated blood pressure levels. Chronically elevated blood pressure injures and damages blood vessel walls integrity. In an effort to repair themselves, the arteries may thicken, leading to increased susceptibility of plaque formation. Furthermore, stress increases clotting factors in your blood which results in higher risks of blood clot formation and artery blockage.
