Behaviors that increase blood pressure and other heart health risks—and how to change them.
During these extraordinary times, more people across all demographics are feeling the effects of stress. Higher levels of hypertension and greater risks of heart attack
can be traced back to long-term, chronic stress. To help make sense of the relationship between chronic stress, high blood pressure and heart health, we asked CalvertHealth Cardiology Department Chair Dr. Cassius Belfonte to answer questions about stress, how some of the behaviors we use to cope with stress can lead to long-term health problems, and to give us better ways to alleviate stress.
Q: How does stress affect my heart?
Stress has been known to raise blood
pressure by raising cortisol levels and adrenaline
levels. It has also been associated with cardiac
arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Stress
also increases behaviors that can harm the heart
indirectly, such as binge eating, increased alcohol
use and lack of sleep. Managing stress is key to good
heart health.
Q: What if the stress doesn’t seem to
go away?
In the short term, stress may not harm the heart.
Long-term exposure to stress is a critical concern
and should be dealt with as soon as possible by
minimizing unhealthy behaviors that may have been
triggered by the stress. Adaptation to long-term
stress is essential and some people adapt to stress
quicker than others.
Q: Many people feel that there is little
they can do to avoid the stress of
these times. Wouldn’t it be better to have
a cocktail every night or eat comfort food
than to be stressed all the time?
When the pandemic first began affecting our lives,
many people turned to whatever they could to help
cope. Along with drinking more alcohol, people who
were confined to their homes were not exercising
and not keeping to a healthy diet. I do fear the
pandemic could result in a higher incidence of
cardiac conditions – not only coronary artery disease
but atrial fibrillation in particular.
Q: How does drinking alcohol affect my
heart health?
There is still a lot we need to understand
about how alcohol interacts with our cardiovascular
system—what levels are safe or even beneficial. We try to generalize by drinks per day etc.,
but we are well aware each drink has
a different concentration and volume
of alcohol. It has been shown there is a
strong correlation between alcohol use
and atrial fibrillation. People who are
binge, or heavy drinkers, over weeks
and months can also expect long-term
increases in their blood pressure.
Binge drinking is considered:
4+ drinks consumed in one
occasion for women
5+ drinks consumed in one
occasion for men
Heavy drinking is considered:
8+ drinks consumed in one week
for women
15+ drinks consumed in one
week for men
Q: How does inactivity
affect my overall health?
It’s good to relax after a long, active
day. There is nothing wrong with
unwinding with a good book or a
movie. However, if you have a very
sedentary job, you should seek ways
to be more active at home. Your
body needs to be active in order to
maintain fitness and to maintain
a healthy weight. Exercise lowers
blood pressure, strengthens muscles,
reduces inflammation and reduces
risk of developing diabetes. Exercise
improves your immune system and
respiratory function, thus increasing
your chance of successfully fighting off
respiratory viruses.
Q: How does what I eat
affect my overall health?
The recommended daily calorie intake
is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for
men. Ideally, those calories should be
packed with vitamins and nutrients,
not sodium, simple carbohydrates
and sugars. In stressful times, people
tend to take shortcuts to cooking
healthy meals or treating themselves
to cookies and candy. As the pandemic
has stretched on into summer and fall,
and then the holidays, it is important
to break those unhealthy habits. We
are going to eventually get through this
pandemic and what I don’t want to see
as a cardiologist, is an epidemic of heart
disease, diabetes and obesity.
Q: If stress is bad for me,
and all the things I do to
try to alleviate stress are bad for
me, what am I supposed to do?
The best advice I can give to help
people who are experiencing long-term,
chronic stress, is to try to build a new,
healthy routine. Set a schedule for
exercise and consider exercising while
watching television. Limit the time
you spend following news and current
events. You want to stay informed, of
course, but tuning in excessively can
elevate stress. Consider new hobbies
such as adult coloring or learning
to play a new instrument. Listen to
relaxing music or consider meditation.
Most importantly, make time to contact
your family and friends.