Does ANXIETY Affect Cardiovascular Health?

Anxiety has a range of negative effects on overall health, and cardiovascular is no exception. In the following, we will talk about exactly this topic: how anxiety affects cardiovascular health in the long term.

What is anxiety and why does it occur?

Anxiety can most easily be described as a feeling of worry, restlessness, tension, and worry. It is a normal emotional state in people, and it is usually associated with situations that the brain perceives as a threat or danger.

This phenomenon is normal when experiencing some stressful situations (losing a job, an accident, arguments, etc.) It can have a significant impact on our health, mood, and mental well-being.

Why exactly anxiety occurs and why it ever turns into a disorder, science has not yet answered. It is believed that there is no single cause of anxiety, but several factors are at play (genetics, previous stressful situations, family history related to anxiety, etc.)

It is important to distinguish between anxiety and an anxiety disorder. As we said, anxiety is a normal human reaction to a given stressful situation. When this reaction turns into a disorder, stress and fears are excessive and do not correspond to the situation, and the condition affects and prevents normal daily functioning.

Physically, people may experience cramped and tight muscles, rapid breathing and heartbeat, sweating, shaking, etc. This condition can seriously affect sleep.

How does anxiety affect cardiovascular health?

Anxiety significantly affects the health of the heart through a combination of several different effects, some of them physiological. When we experience anxiety, the body’s reaction to stress causes the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which prepare the body for the so-called “fight or flight” reaction.

These hormones increase heart rate and blood pressure, which puts more strain on the heart. Chronic anxiety can constantly cause this burden, and this can result in an elevated continuous pulse and pressure (hypertension) – two severe risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

In addition, anxiety is also associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and the deposition of plaque in the arteries. In daily habits, people with anxiety are more prone to adopting unhealthy coping mechanisms – such as smoking, emotional eating, alcohol, physical inactivity, etc.

These habits can have an equally harmful and pronounced negative effect on cardiovascular health. Over time, the combined effects of physiological stress and an unhealthy lifestyle significantly increase the likelihood of developing conditions such as coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, hypertension, and even heart failure.

This complex relationship between anxiety and heart health, especially in those with pre-existing risk factors, highlights the importance of better and proper management of anxiety and stress to protect long-term heart health.