Stress and anxiety can certainly impact your physical, emotional and mental health, and in popular culture and common lingo, we often connect the dots between stress and heart health. We talk about “stress and heartache” or “being worried to death.” Stress causes the body to produce adrenaline and cortisol, both of which can affect heart health.
Because there are many shared symptoms between stress and heart disease, it is not uncommon for patients to see their doctor or go to the emergency room believing they are having a cardiac event when in fact they are responding to stress. This being said, never assume; if you experience symptoms that feel like they could be cardiac in nature, always check with your doctor.
Symptoms related to both stress and heart disease can include heart palpitations or a feeling of a racing heart, fatigue, chest pain/discomfort and depression. Most patients experience acute anxiety and stress an increase in heart rate and/or blood pressure. This is due to your body’s fight or flight response. Some believe this can strain your heart if occurring on a regular basis.
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