Can depression cause heart problems?
How to keep your heart healthy even when you're not feeling
well.
It's easy to grab your favorite comfort food or skip a
workout when you're feeling bad. Even if you're not feeling well, it's crucial
to think about your heart health.
People who are stressed, anxious, or depressed may feel
overwhelmed, making it difficult for them to make appropriate lifestyle
decisions. They may be more inclined to smoke, be less physically active, and
so on.
They sleep too little or too much, consume too much alcohol,
and fail to take their prescriptions as prescribed. These unhealthy habits can
raise the risk of heart disease over time.
Trauma, sadness, anxiety, and stress may all have an impact
on your health, and it's not simply because you might develop unhealthy
behaviors. According to research, mental wellness has physiological impacts on
the body.
More than 7% of adults in the United States suffer from
depression, with the number rising to 20% in post-heart attack patients.
Can
depression cause heart disease or heart attack problems?
When you're depressed, anxious, or stressed, your heart rate
and blood pressure rise, the blood supply to the heart is limited, and your body
creates more cortisol, a stress hormone. These effects can eventually lead to
heart disease. Following cardiac events such as heart failure, stroke, or heart
attack, depression and anxiety can occur.
What
can I do to help my stress anxiety or depression problems?
Three basic steps can help if you're suffering from
depression, stress, or anxiety.
1.
Determine and address the source of your depression, stress, or anxiety.
If required, seek treatment.
You may feel low for a few days at a time, but if it lasts
two weeks or more, you should seek help. Depression is a problem when it
produces unhappiness and/or a loss of interest in previously appreciated
activities. It can cause a slew of mental and physical issues, as well as a
reduction in your capacity to operate at work and at home.
2. Make
healthy habits a priority and don't rush it.
If you haven't been exercising regularly, begin slowly.
Even if you only walk for 10 minutes at a time, taking a
stroll for 30 minutes a day can assist your heart. Physical activity not only
enhances your mood while you're doing it, but it can also improve your mental
health, lessen your risk of depression, and increase your general quality of
life.
If reaching for unhealthy foods has become a habit, try
reducing fat, added sugar, sodium, and calories by using better cooking
techniques or substituting products. When eating out, choose nutritious snacks
like fresh fruits and vegetables, or undressed salads and other low-fat foods.
3. Make
small improvements to your healthy lifestyle at a time.
Don't try to "repair" everything at the same time.
This is especially true if one of your goals is to quit smoking.
It is difficult to stop smoking. If you smoke, talk to your
doctor about whether you need drugs or other assistance to quit. Nicotine
replacement therapy or prescription medications are two options. You could also
inquire about a smoking cessation program referral.
To interrupt the pattern of feeling low, you must first take
care of yourself. It could be anything structured, like a yoga class or a tai
chi practice, or something more flexible, like meditating, listening to music,
or reading a book.
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