Anxiety on the heart

[JR]

I keep reading all over the place that anxiety can have a negetive effect on your heart. I have also read that there is no connection between anxiety and harmful effects to your heart? Which is it?

[Meg]

Dear JR,

Long term continual stress is detrimental for many parts of the body.

It can add to high blood pressure, arthritis, cardiac disease, diabetes, the immune system in general and many others . It is believed that 40% of all GP visits are in some way related to stress and it's manifestation in physical illness.

Now don't go off on one - as all of our WW2 population were under real long term extreme stress for many years and lots are still here to tell the tale so Please - do not take this literally that your current stress will be fatal. It won't be.

Short term anxiety will not harm you.

Does that help ?




Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[uryjm]

In the twenty years I've suffered from anxiety, and in all I've read in those years trying to deal with it, I can't recall reading anywhere that it's bad for your heart. Although it sometimes feels as if it must be!

Jim

[benoo5]

there are different types of stress....theres the yuppy,in londons stock exchange,whos working pulse rate is around 120 beats per min.

and theres someone suffering from anxiety,whos daily pulse rate is around 80 beats per min.

whos going to have a heart problem..you or him?

dont worry,best wishes...bryan.

[JR]

thanks. Makes me feel a little better

[Waffle]

NHS health promotion advises you to do the following to "...help prevent cancer:

stopping smoking,

eating a healthy diet including at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day,

reducing your alcohol intake,

protecting yourself from environmental hazards such as ...gas, radiation, hazardous chemicals, and

protecting yourself from the harmful effects of the sun by covering up and using a high factor sunscreen." (NHS Direct)

The NHS advises you do the follwing to "...help prevent corornary heart disease:

Reduce your saturated fat intake....

Eat a healthy diet....

Get some exercise....

Stop smoking...." (NHS Direct)

That is all it said..... these were the risk factors they listed, and stress / anxiety were not shown. In relation to the prevention of coronary heart disease the page on this is http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.asp?TopicID=625&AreaID=4118&LinkID=3193
if you want the full uncut version.

Cancer Reasearch UK and The British Heart Foundation rate these diseases as the most common forms of morbidity in the UK. The advice to avoid these on the NHS Direct, Cancer Research UK, and The British Heart Foundation websites didn't seem to include stress or anxiety in their information on how to reduce the risks of these diseases as far as I could see. On the British Heart Foundation website I looked through their list of topics and I could not find "stress" listed. Anxiety and depression was listed there but this was purely advice for people who had heart surgery etc who experienced anxiety and depression after surgery etc.

Reducing excess / long term stress / anxiety is going to be of benefit to someones mental health and wellbeing........

****Important****
I have no medical training (apart from a first aid at work certificate lol) and this is just what I saw on the websites listed above. I am not in a position to be able to advise people about health issues and what I have put above has been copied from NHS Direct and the sites above. I thought it was however an interesting exercise.