How to delete stress from your life

Stress is a problem for our heart health. We usually think about cholesterol or blood pressure when we talk about heart diseases. Stress is just as important. As a cardiologist I see how stress affects peoples hearts every day. It can cause blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms and even heart attacks. It might sound impossible to get rid of stress. We can definitely reduce it and manage it.

The connection between our heart and stress is crucial to understand. When we are stressed our body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. This causes our heart rate to go up our blood pressure to rise and our blood vessels to get smaller. This is helpful in emergency situations. If it happens all time it can damage our blood vessels and hurt our heart.

Stress also affects the choices we make. When people are instressed they are more likely to skip exercise eat food sleep poorly or smoke and drink. All of these things can increase our risk of heart problems.

To manage the stress we need to start by being aware of it. Many people think stress is normal and ignore symptoms like feeling tired getting angry having headaches or feeling like their heart is beating fast. Our body usually sends us warning signs before something happens.

Take a moment to think about what causes you stress. Is it your job, money problems, family responsibilities or much time on your phone? Once you know what is causing your stress you can start to deal with it.

We need to make habits a priority. Exercise is one of the ways to reduce stress. If we walk briskly for 30 minutes a day it can help us feel better and lower our blood pressure. Sleep is also very important. We should try to sleep for 7-8 hours every night. If we do not sleep well our body produces cortisol, which can hurt our heart.

If we eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats it can help our heart and our mind. We should try to limit caffeine and processed foods as they can make us feel anxious and increase our heart rate.

We need to learn how to pause and take a break. In today world everyone is always busy. It is essential to take a mins to breathe deeply and calm down. This can help our heart rate slow down and our blood pressure go down.

Mindfulness, meditation and silence can also help us reduce stress. These things are not just nice to have; they are necessary for our long-term health.

We need to set boundaries and not overwork ourselves. If we say yes to all we can get too stressed and tired. It is okay to say no and set goals. We need to make time for work, rest, family and our own interests. Balance is key.

Spending time with friends and family can also help us reduce stress. Talking to someone can help us feel better and reduce our stress levels. If we are alone it can make our stress worse. Increase our risk of heart problems.

If we are feeling chest pain, palpitations or shortness of breath we should see a doctor. These can be warning signs that somethings wrong with our heart. A cardiologist or a mental health expert can help us make a plan to reduce our stress and improve our heart health.

The important thing to remember is that stress does not have to control our lives. If we make changes, like exercising, sleeping well eating food and taking care of our mental health we can reduce the impact of stress on our heart. Our heart is not a pump; it is connected to our whole life. Taking care of our heart means taking care of ourselves.

(Dr Sagar Shah, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Sheshadripuram, Bangalore)