How many times a week do you utter the catchphrase “I’m feeling stressed”?

For many of us, this has become an almost daily catchphrase. In a world where we are more connected than ever, many of us find it difficult to ‘switch off’, and research shows that stress levels in the general population have steadily increased over the past five years[1].

Beyond your emotional health, have you ever stopped for a moment to wonder how stress could in fact be affecting your overall health- in particular, how stress affects heart health?

The importance of managing stress cannot be overstated- read on to find out how stress could be secretly sabotaging your health, and what to do about it.

Stress – An Overview

When you experience an emotional or physical instance of stress, such as physical pain, a deadline you need to meet or even being stuck in a traffic jam, your body tries to relieve this feeling as quickly as possible, the same way it has for thousands of years – by releasing your stress hormones, epinephrine and cortisol.

In cave-man times, instances of stress may have included being stalked by a wild animal or hunting for your dinner. Your body relied on these stress hormones in order to be able to run faster from danger, or exert the physical actions needed to hunt your prey.

Although these days our stress triggers are very different, our body still reacts in the same way. This means that when you’re stuck in a stressful traffic jam on your way to an important meeting (that you’re already running late for), your body is still releasing excess cortisol and epinephrine to help you cope.

This excess release of stress hormones in the body can in turn affect our heart health, ability to sleep effectively, metabolism and more.

Heart Health

When your body releases excess stress hormones, your heart responds by working harder in order to sustain you through this period of stress.

Research has shown that women who experience prolonged periods of stress in the workplace are 40 per cent more likely to experience heart health problems[2].

Nutrient Deficiencies

Stress can also create nutrient deficiencies in the body. This is because when our body is trying to release stress hormones in order to control our stress and anxiety levels, it requires minerals and other nutrients in order to stimulate and calm the body.

One antioxidant in our body that is particularly vulnerable is Ubiquinol, the active (more readily absorbed) form of CoQ10. Our natural levels of ubiquinol decline as we age, but chronic stress accelerates this process. As there are many benefits of Ubiquinol, from energy production to heart health and exercise recovery, it is important to ensure that you are receiving your recommended daily intake.

If you find yourself particularly stressed, it is worth considering how Ubiquinol supplementation could make you feel both in terms of your energy levels and your heart health.

Stress – Methods for Coping

Stress is a part of everyday life, which means that effective methods of stress management should become a part of your everyday life as well.

You may have heard the saying “everyone should meditate for 10 minutes per day. Unless you’re too busy, in which case you should meditate for 30”.

Daily meditation and mindfulness has been shown in research to increase feelings of happiness in as little as seven weeks. [3]

Even simple tasks such as taking thirty minutes to walk every day, or complete a form of exercise, can be extremely effective at decreasing stress levels.

Whatever healthy solution works for you, from five minutes of ‘quiet time’ to taking a short walk on your lunch break, there’s no question that taking time to decrease your stress levels can have immense benefits for overall health.

References:

[1] Stress and wellbeing in Australia survey 2015

[2] Slopen N, Glynn RJ, Buring JE, Lewis TT, Williams DR, Albert MA (2012) Job Strain, Job Insecurity, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the Women’s Health Study: Results from a 10-Year Prospective Study. PLoS ONE 7(7): e40512. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040512

[3] J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008 Nov; 95(5): 1045–1062.