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[S1067]Stress And Heart Attacks

by Sacha Tarkovsky, Sac

Stress management is the active and constant correction to your body and mind to the forces of stress and pressure.

The worst form of stress is the daily, repetitive and constant stress from any source.

It makes your body constantly react, release hormones and enzymes into your circulatory system, and in the end, destroys your immune system altogether.

Learn to manage stress now, and you can avoid that heart attack and stroke, just waiting to happen.

How Does Someone Know They are Stressed

Many people do not know they are suffering from stress and the effects of stress.

A few simple self-tests, and you can see if you are both stressed and suffering from stress. During any time of the day, do a body survey.

Are you hands clenched? Do you have “nervous leg" (leg moving up and down with the ball of the foot as a pivot)? Is your face tense?

Is there some pains in your shoulders or arms that should not be there? Test you pulse? Is it over 80 beats per minute when you are at rest?

Do you have high blood pressure? If any of these answers are a yes, you can be sure you are being stressed and suffering from stress.

Identify the Stressors

It is very crucial, both for your health, and well-being, to be able to identify the stressors in your life. It is not really difficult. Start now.

Make of list of all those people, situations, and factors that cause you stress.

Make the list first in any order.

Then when you finish all the items that are stressors, you must grade them form 1 to 5, 1 being the worst, and 5 the least.

With the stressors identified and graded, you now can create a system to manage the stress.

Grade 1 Stressors and Actions Required

For all grade 1 stressors, you must find a way to either eliminate or extricate yourself from the stressor source.

If the grade 1 stressor is your boss, you may need a new job.

If it’s a mother-in-law interfering in your happy home life, you may need affirmative action.

Take the list of grade 1 stressors, and put a workable solution next to each item.

Re-read the list, and consider the alternative of not acting on removal of the stressor.

If you get a heart attack or stroke, your life may be over. Acting now can save your life.

Grade 2 to 5 Stressors

For the lesser graded stressors, do exactly as you have done for the grade 1 stressors, but you do not
have to be so critical as you were for the very negative stressors.

If a grade 2 stressor happens to be a neighbor’s annoying cat, you might counter the stress by listening to music you enjoy (and not removing the cat, which you might find impossible to do anyway).

Be less critical, but nevertheless, even in grade 5 stressors, find a workable solution.

Stress First Aid

If you find your hands clinched, or your face tensioned, take one minute “time out". Sit quietly and relax the tensed and stress reacted areas.

Consciously relax the part of you that is stressed.

This minute is for you. If you can’t find a quiet place to go, use the bathroom.

Put some cold water on your face and wrists. Sit for a moment till you are calm. Do this any time you see yourself stress and tense.

It could save your life.

When the heart becomes “starved for oxygen”, heart disease and heart attacks occur. This happens when fatty deposits stick to the small walls of the veins and arteries surrounding our heart. Unfortunately, the older we get, the smaller these veins become, and the easier it is to develop heart disease. However, there are signs and preventive measures.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) does not always cause a heart attack. You may have severe CAD without even having any chest pain. However, any of these symptoms should be reported to a doctor because they could be a sign of CAD:

Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Palpitations (an irregular heartbeat, skipped beats, or a “flip-flop” feeling in your chest
Fast or racing heartbeat
Weakness
Dizziness
Nausea
Sweating (not due to exercise)

Angina (chest pain) has been described as an “uncomfortable feeling” usually just below the breastbone. But there are other places that the pain of angina can be felt as well: the left shoulder (because your heart is on the left side of your body), arms, neck, throat, jaw or even your back. Angina often resembles heartburn or indigestion. If you have these symptoms for more than 15 minutes, please seek emergency treatment.

If you have not had any symptoms and have not had a heart attack, you can work on preventive measures to reduce the risk of heart disease:

If you smoke, stop! This goes for all types of smokers, not just cigarette smokers. We've all heard and seen the commercials about lower cholesterol. It restricts the oxygen and blood flow to the heart and can thus cause a heart attack or heart disease. Everyone over the age of 30 should be screened. If you have a history of heart disease in your family, you should stay in touch with your medical practitioner as to how often you should be screened.

Raise HDL! HDL is the “good” cholesterol that takes the “bad” cholesterol from the arteries to the liver, where it is removed from the bloodstream.

Calm down. As your heart beats, force is applied in your arteries. This force is your blood pressure. Higher blood pressure means harder working heart and kidneys. Harder working heart and kidneys mean higher risk of heart disease.

Slim down. Excess weight means a harder working heart. As stated above, we know that a harder working heart means higher risk of heart disease. In fact, too much weight can cause your internal organs to perform differently.

Exercise. You don't have to run marathons to maintain a healthy heart exercise regimen. Any exercise that raises your heart rate for at least 30 minutes a day at least 3 days a week is enough to gain “heart” benefits.

Eat right. This statement is pretty self-explanatory. We all know exactly what we should eat. The problem is doing it.

Stressed? Find safe ways to reduce your stress levels such as walking or other light exercises, because stress can also cause the heart to work harder…

Limit alcohol consumption.

Beyond these preventive measures, you should always consult your physician if you have any concerns about your heart health.

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About Author

Both Sacha Tarkovsky & Joe Goertz are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Sacha Tarkovsky has sinced written about articles on various topics from Learn Trading, detox diet and Forex Trading Forex. MORE FREE INFO On all aspects of self improvement and visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and. Sacha Tarkovsky's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.

Joe Goertz has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cruises, Home Management and Home Improvement. Read more Health related articles at: . Joe Goertz's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.