Most people suffer from anxiety or at least some mild version of it. To be honest, suffering from a bout of anxiety is pretty normal. Whether you've been asked to give an impromptu speech or you're stuck in traffic or you're worried about a loved one, anxiety is a part of the method your brain uses to deal with situations. However, if you suffer from anxiety regularly, researchers say you need to be more careful because it can be associated with high blood pressure and heart conditions.
“Our mind and our thoughts certainly are connected to our hearts,” says a doctor. So, when you're in a stressful situation you undergo a fight or flight response which can raise your heart rate and blood pressure. “A little anxiety can be motivating,” he says. However, it needs to be balanced by your nervous system. “The parasympathetic nervous system helps you relax, and a balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems is essential for heart health,” he says.
“When people are chronically anxious, they may experience changes to their immune system, blood vessels, and platelets that may contribute to heart disease,” he added. A study that was conducted in 2015 found that people who regularly suffer from anxiety are a lot more prone to hypertension and heart issues as compared to people who don't suffer from anxiety regularly. However, there have also been contradicting studies regarding the same.
A hypertension expert said that it's rather difficult to establish a cause and effect relationship between anxiety and high blood pressure. “However, it is harder to tell whether frequent anxiety can contribute to the development of sustained hypertension,” he says. “The issue is not settled.” “People who have anxiety all the time and worry about a lot of different things—those are probably people who are going to be more at risk for heart disease and hypertension in the long run,” said another doctor.
Now, another question that arises is how does a person determine if he has the kind of anxiety that might lead to health problems later on. Doctors tend to use extended questionnaires such as the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) which asks people to rate how they're feeling in certain situations and on a scale from 'not at all' to 'very much'.
However, a doctor suggested that it's best to first self-analyse how you feel. “Try to distinguish whether or not the anxiety is so severe that it’s impacting [your] life or functioning,” he says. So, if you feel that you worry too much about things and that it's affecting your eating and sleeping habits then you probably need to be worried about your anxiety levels.
“Talk with a physician or other provider about it,” he adds. “Irrespective of whether chronic anxiety contributes to hypertension, managing anxiety and stress is an important aspect of maintaining a high-quality of life,” he says. So, if you’re someone who suffers from regular anxiety, it’s time to get the right kind of help for yourself. Stay tuned for more updates.
