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Stress and High Blood Pressure
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Stress
can make blood pressure go up for a while, and it has been thought to contribute to high blood pressure. But the long-term effects
of stress are as yet unclear. Stress management techniques do not seem to prevent high blood pressure. However, such
techniques may have other benefits, such as making you feel better or helping you to control over-eating thus helping in decreasing
your blood pressure..
Remember Your blood pressure increases remarkably when you are under physical
or emotional stress. If you constantly feel "stressed out," your body may maintain an
abnormally high level of responsiveness, creating an artificially induced state of
high blood pressure.
Exercise can also cause stess, but Unlike
exercise, which provides your body with
well-controlled physical stress for a limited amount of time, chronic stress does not benefit
your circulatory system. Rather, it increases your risk of illness. However, stress is very much a part of modern life, and
it can be hard to control the amount of stress in your life
without changing your daily habits significantly.
what are the ways to control your stress? Many persons do follow
these habits to relieve from stress—eating, drinking alcohol,
and smoking—contribute to the development of high blood pressure. You
may wish to use exercise to manage your stress. Failing that, you may need
to seek counseling to help you change how you think about certain
things that cause you to be stressed, or to learn relaxation techniques. Relaxation
techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation and transcendental meditation may help
reduce mild high blood pressure.
What stress do to your Heart? Stress has noticeable effects on
the cardiovascular system. Who hasn't felt their heart beat faster because of stress or
anxiety? Chronic stress can result in high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, strokes, heart attacks, and other
cardiovascular system disorders.
Keep in mind that Stress is a leading cause of high blood
pressure. Even a small stress response causes blood vessels to constrict. Research is unlocking a complex relationship between
stress, high blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. Some studies has proved
this fact that stress is deeply related with high blood
pressure.
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Strokes and High Blood Pressure
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Recent studies have brought to light how stress and high blood pressure
influence the chance of a stroke and transient ischemic attacks. A study in the June 2003
edition of Stroke draws a connection between the severity of stress-induced blood pressure
changes and the risk of strokes. Danish study supports this finding: the study discovered that middle-aged men who
reported high levels of stress were twice as likely to suffer a fatal stroke compared to men who reported low stress levels. As little
as one incident of stress a week doubled the chance of a stroke.
Atherosclerosis occurs when fat, cholesterol, and plaque
deposits build up and clog the cardiovascular system's blood vessels. Arteries become thick
with this process. If atherosclerosis affects blood vessels leading
to the heart, the disease is referred to as coronary artery disease.
High blood pressure , cholestrol, smoking and
diabetes are important risk factors for High blood pressure. Stress may also be
a contributing factor. An Ohio State University study
discovered that stress slows the body's
metabolism of triglycerides, a type of fat
linked to cardiovascular system disorders, including heart attacks. By slowing
the metabolism of triglycerides, stress allows the
fat to remain in the blood longer, a factor that may speed up
atherosclerosis development.
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Relaxation Techniques:
Protecting the Cardiovascular System
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Relaxation techniques can help minimize the effect stress has on the cardiovascular system.
Research has noted that breathing exercises and meditation help control high blood
pressure, and may even have a preventative effect. Development of atherosclerosis can also be delayed by relaxation
techniques. Regular meditation, breathing exercises and other techniques can help
to lower the level of oxidative chemicals in the
blood, which in turn lowers the risk of atherosclerosis and thus maintaining your blood pressure
with in normal limits.
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