Aa
Can anxiety cause heart problems?
just wondering if it can.
i eat healthy, excercise, drink only water. have some anxiety and am wondering if that can causeheart problems
i eat healthy, excercise, drink only water. have some anxiety and am wondering if that can causeheart problems
I guess I have to side with the of course it can group. Since all of us die of heart disease eventually (the heart stopping is one measure of death, brain activity being the other), all of us will have heart stoppage eventually. But nobody is as anxious as I am after a permanent Paxil withdrawal (rare, but it happens) but my heart shows no problems whatsoever. So anxiety an also not be involved at all in heart disease. Worrying about it is useless, but taking care of oneself is very important. Most important is getting enough of the good fats and antioxidants to prevent the inflammation so key to getting heart disease. As nursegirl says, heart disease is complicated, as are all diseases, and we don't really know why some people get them and others of like circumstances don't, but if anxiety alone caused it everyone on this site would be dead and we're not.
No, having anxiety cannot actually be a sole cause of a heart condition or heart disease. Just like a panic attack cannnot cause a heart attack in someone without an underlying heart condition.
Stress is a risk factor for heart disease, but that is very different from a "cause". Risk factors are usually aspects of your lifestyle, that usually, along with a genetic component, will increase your chances of developing heart disease,. Risk factors alone are not really a threat. It's when you start piling on multiple risk factors where there is a concern.
Your overall health will benefit from better managing your anxiety, but again, it cannot CAUSE you to have a heart condition, or a heart attack, etc. Seems like you are pretty proactive about your health, which is great. One of the leading causes of heart disease is genetics...not much we can do about our genes, but deciding to live healthily is a great start.
Stress is a risk factor for heart disease, but that is very different from a "cause". Risk factors are usually aspects of your lifestyle, that usually, along with a genetic component, will increase your chances of developing heart disease,. Risk factors alone are not really a threat. It's when you start piling on multiple risk factors where there is a concern.
Your overall health will benefit from better managing your anxiety, but again, it cannot CAUSE you to have a heart condition, or a heart attack, etc. Seems like you are pretty proactive about your health, which is great. One of the leading causes of heart disease is genetics...not much we can do about our genes, but deciding to live healthily is a great start.
Yeah actually it can stress can too. I have pains in that area from it. I think they said it was something to do with a blocked wall... they gave me some medication . It helps, but i still need to figure out ways to deal with it. Anxiety and stress can cause 4853058308035 things.
I guess the answer is a bit unclear.
The insidence of heart disease among people suffering from anxiety is slightly higher than in the general population, yes. But most of the time, there is a reason, such as the fact that anxious people tend to smoke, drink more alcohol, binge-eating, drug abuse, etc, which are all risk factors for heart disease.
The rapid heart rhythm will not cause heart problems unless you already have a heart condition.
It's suggested that the increased blood pressure during anxiety can be a risk factor for heart disease. However, recent research, a large study, from my country (Norway) conclude that people suffering from anxiety and/or depression on average actually have a lower blood pressure than others. I guess the doctors disagree if blood pressure fluctuations are unhealthy or not, but again, not all people with anxiety have high blood pressure when feeling anxious.
So, I would guess that other risk factors (you seem to be doing fine) are more important.
The insidence of heart disease among people suffering from anxiety is slightly higher than in the general population, yes. But most of the time, there is a reason, such as the fact that anxious people tend to smoke, drink more alcohol, binge-eating, drug abuse, etc, which are all risk factors for heart disease.
The rapid heart rhythm will not cause heart problems unless you already have a heart condition.
It's suggested that the increased blood pressure during anxiety can be a risk factor for heart disease. However, recent research, a large study, from my country (Norway) conclude that people suffering from anxiety and/or depression on average actually have a lower blood pressure than others. I guess the doctors disagree if blood pressure fluctuations are unhealthy or not, but again, not all people with anxiety have high blood pressure when feeling anxious.
So, I would guess that other risk factors (you seem to be doing fine) are more important.
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