Effects of Stress on the Heart

Effects of Stress on the Heart
It is difficult to recall a day in one’s life where they did not experience even the slightest bit of stress. Stress, caused by various stressors, can be difficult to deal with at times, and can even cause other fatal conditions and complications. The heart is one of the seven vital organs, and can easily be affected by large amounts of stress. Stress on the heart can cause many issues, like hypertension and heart attacks, but that is only scratching the surface. Stress may not be a risk factor, per say, but it does contribute to many other risk factors that could lead to one of the many types of cardiovascular diseases.
There are a myriad of different kinds of stressors. Work overload, relocation, death of a friend or loved one, and perfectionism are only a few different stressors, but, interestingly, the body deals with every kind of stress, mild or extreme, in the same way. No one person copes with stress the same as another, but everyone is equal in the fact that negatively dealing with stress causes all sorts of harm to one’s body. The heart is a sensitive organ, and stressors interfere with the heart’s normal patterns, like its rhythm, blood pressure, or heart rate. One’s blood pressure or heart rate could easily skyrocket while under stress. The medical word for “high blood pressure” is hypertension. Having high blood pressure and heart rate will eventually affect the heart’s rhythm, causing it beat at a slightly irregular pace when settled, and a dangerously irregular pace when stressed out. This hypertension can cause other harmful things to happen in the cardiovascular system, including heart disease or a stroke. That being said, an irregular heartbeat does not necessarily need any kind of hypertension to occur. The emotional effects of constant stress are enough to cause the heart to alter its rhythm. Not all heartbeat abnormalities affect the cardiovascular system negatively, though. Some just happen, but there are...