Stress less for better blood pressure

We all have stress every single day. Little things like a traffic jam that makes you late to work are commonplace. Major stress, including illness, divorce, loss of a job or the death of a loved one is also a part of everyone’s life. When I was diagnosed with cancer in my thirties, I lived with an enormous amount of stress. In my new book, Super Healing, I have an entire chapter devoted to mood and how it affects our health and our ability to heal well. In this article, I’ll talk specifically about stress’s affect on one aspect of health—your blood pressure.

When it comes to stress, there are two important points: 1) not all stress is bad; and, 2) worrying about worrying is not helpful.  Even though it’s vital to survival, stress has a bad reputation. When you perceive stress, your sympathetic nervous system triggers the “fight or flight” response to prepare your body for action. A release of hormones quickens your heart rate and breathing, and extra blood is pumped to your muscles and organs to provide them with a burst of energy. Stress keeps drivers alert, helps students excel, and spurs competitors to win. But ongoing stress has harmful long-term effects, including raising your blood pressure.

One study suggests that mental stress not only affects blood pressure, but may also thicken artery walls, a condition that can trigger heart attacks and strokes. Finnish researchers asked 901 men, ages 46–60, to perform a series of tests designed to provoke mild stress. Before the tests, the men had ultrasound images taken of their carotid arteries, the vessels in the neck that deliver blood to the brain. During the exams, the investigators electronically measured the participants’ blood pressure and heart rate. Men who showed the most exaggerated spikes in blood pressure while under stress had greater thickening of their artery walls than those who had smaller increases in blood pressure.

If you are often tense, the following stress reduction strategies can help. Remember, you don’t want to worry about worrying, instead do something positive to lessen the amount of stress you feel.

Get enough sleep. Lack of sound sleep can affect your mood, mental alertness, energy level, and physical health.

Exercise. Physical activity alleviates stress and reduces your risk of becoming depressed.

Learn relaxation techniques. Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, deep breathing exercises, and yoga are the mainstays of stress relief. Your local hospital may offer meditation or yoga classes, or you can learn about these techniques from books or videotapes.

Strengthen your social network. Studies show that social ties significantly protect health and well-being. Try to connect with others by taking a class, joining an organization, or participating in a support group.

Learn time-management skills. These skills can help you juggle work and family demands.

Confront stressful situations head-on. Don’t let stressful situations fester. Hold family problem-solving sessions and use negotiation skills at work.

Nurture yourself. Treat yourself to a massage. Truly savor an experience: Eat slowly, focusing on each bite of that orange, or soak up the warm rays of the sun or the scent of blooming flowers during a walk outdoors. Take a nap. Enjoy the sounds of music you find calming.

Talk to your doctor. If stress and anxiety persist, talk to your doctor about whether anti-anxiety medications could be helpful.

Are their any activities that you find particularly stress relieving that are not listed here? Share them with me (and the other Gather readers too, of course)!

Stress Management
Stress isn’t all bad. But too much stress for too long creates what is known as “chronic stress” which has been linked to illnesses like heart disease and stroke, in addition to the emotional toll that stress can take. From Harvard Medical School, Stress Management: Techniques for preventing and easing stress is a special report that can help you identify triggers for stress in your own life and understand the how stress affects your body. The report also gives you useful tools, including a portable guide to reduce stress, a meditation wallet card, and a stress-relief planning chart.

Julie K. Silver, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Chief Editor of Books for Harvard Health Publications.

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