When you are stressed your body releases stress hormones to prepare the body for “fight of flight”. This hormone release causes heart rate to increase and blood vessels to constrict. The combination leads to elevated blood pressure. With short term stress, this is a temporary rise in blood pressure that resolves itself once the stressful situation is resolved.
But what about when you live with chronic stress?
There is no direct scientific link between chronic stress and high blood pressure. However, stress is connected to many behaviors directly tied to high blood pressure and heart disease, such as consuming alcohol, lack of sleep, and overeating.
Physical activity for stress relief… but what if you don’t have time?
Being physically active is a proven method you can use to reduce stress levels. Activity triggers the brain to release “feel-good” chemicals to ease stress. Exercising and being active are also proven ways to lower blood pressure.
However, time and location may not always be conducive to employ activity to lower stress levels. Here are ten alternate techniques for reducing stress.
- Eat a healthy diet
- Avoid alcohol
Include foods rich in vitamins and minerals to counteract stress, such as fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, fish, and yogurt.
This potential short term “fix” to alleviate stress can quickly turn into a long term problem.
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With some heart healthy cooking, you can still enjoy delicious meals on a heart healthy diet. Plus, you don’t have to follow some strict “diet”. Many times you just need to tweak what you are already eating.
