What do you do when you’re stressed?
Typically, we eat more, drink more and sleep less. According to Janel Eckroth, a nurse practitioner for CHI St. Alexius. These are all behaviors we tend to turn to in stressful times and these behaviors put stress on our hearts. As we continue to raise awareness about heart health, Eckroth says these times are tough. The holidays are stressors and so is the pandemic. Then add bad behaviors to the fact that our bodies are already reacting all on their own.
“When we’re stressed our bodies are producing more stress hormones or cortisol which definitely increases the stress on the arteries and you can increase risks of heart attacks because you can get more blockage when you are stressed,” said Janel Eckroth.
And although we can’t control the hormones our bodies make, we can control our behaviors. She says to practice deep breathing and meditate to manage stress. But also listen to your body, and during stressful times, continue to eat well, exercise and get good rest - all simple ways to reduce your risk of heart attack.
KX News
Lauren Kalberer Reporting
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