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Do Stress and Emotional Trauma Affect Heart Health? · From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing

• 0:07
  Hello and welcome back to From Recovery to Wellness.
• 0:11
  I'm your host, Arnita, and thank you for joining
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  me as we continue our season four series community
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  questions on aneurysms, open heart surgery, and
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  heart health answers. Now, today's question is
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  one that many survivors quietly wonder about.
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  Can stress really affect your heart, blood vessels,
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  and long -term cardiovascular health? In this
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  episode, we explore what researchers have learned
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  about the connection between chronic stress,
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  emotional trauma, and the cardiovascular system.
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  We'll discuss how stress affects blood pressure,
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  inflammation, heart rate, and overall vascular
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  health, and why emotional recovery may be an
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  important part of physical recovery after a cardiac
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  event or open heart surgery. So, specifically
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  today's question, is do stress and emotional
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  trauma actually impact heart and vascular health,
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  or is it overstated? For years, many people viewed
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  stress as something that affected only emotions
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  or mental well -being. But today, researchers
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  understand that the connection between the brain,
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  nervous system, heart, and blood vessels is much
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  more complex. The short answer is this. Stress
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  and emotional trauma do affect cardiovascular
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  health. However, they are usually one piece of
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  a much larger picture that includes genetics,
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  blood pressure, lifestyle habits, medical conditions,
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  and other risk factors. So let's take a closer
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  look. When we experience stress, the body activates
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  what is commonly known as the fight or flight
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  response. Stress hormones such as adrenaline
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  and cortisol are released into the bloodstream.
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  These hormones can increase heart rate, blood
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  pressure, breathing rate, and blood sugar levels.
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  In a true emergency, this response can be helpful.
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  The body is preparing to react to a threat. The
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  problem occurs when stress becomes chronic. When
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  the stress response remains activated for weeks,
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  months or years, the cardiovascular system may
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  experience ongoing strain. Research has linked
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  chronic stress to higher blood pressure, increased
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  inflammation, unhealthy coping behaviors, and
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  a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. The
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  American Heart Association recognizes psychological
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  health as an important component of overall cardiovascular
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  health. Emotional trauma may also influence cardiovascular
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  health. Traumatic experiences can affect sleep,
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  anxiety levels, mood, and the body's stress response
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  system. For some individuals, trauma can contribute
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  to long -term patterns of psychological stress
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  that affect overall health. This does not mean
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  that stress alone causes aneurysms, heart attacks,
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  or cardiovascular disease. That would be an oversimplification.
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  Most cardiovascular conditions develop through
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  a combination of factors, but research suggests
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  that chronic stress may contribute to the progression
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  of cardiovascular disease and may influence certain
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  risk factors along the way. So survivors have
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  asked, what about heart surgery survivors? This
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  topic is especially relevant for people recovering
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  from open heart surgery. aneurysm repair, or
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  other major cardiac events. Many survivors describe
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  experiencing anxiety about future scans, fear
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  of recurrence, concerns about physical symptoms,
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  changes in confidence, and emotional ups and
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  downs during recovery. These experiences are
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  common. Recovery is not only physical. It can
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  also involve emotional adjustment. Now, Many
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  cardiac rehab programs now recognize the importance
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  of emotional well -being alongside exercise,
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  nutrition, and medical management. Researchers
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  increasingly understand that supporting mental
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  and emotional health may contribute to better
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  overall recovery and quality of life. So, what
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  can help? While we cannot eliminate every source
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  of stress, there are healthy ways to support
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  emotional and cardiovascular well -being. Examples
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  include... regular physical activity approved
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  by your physician, adequate sleep, social connection,
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  faith practices, relaxation techniques, counseling
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  or mental health support when appropriate, and
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  participation in cardiac rehab. These approaches
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  do not erase life's challenges, but they may
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  help reduce the physiological burden that chronic
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  stress places on the body. So our takeaway in
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  this today is that current research supports
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  a connection between chronic stress, emotional
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  well -being, and cardiovascular health. While
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  stress is rarely the sole cause of heart or vascular
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  disease, long -term activation of the body's
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  stress response may contribute to higher blood
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  pressure, inflammation, and other cardiovascular
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  risk factors. Supporting emotional health can
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  be an important part of overall heart health
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  as well. Now, that brings us to our food of the
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  week, which are spring greens. I just love them.
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  I mix them in my salads. and I mixed them with
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  romaine lettuce. I switched years and years ago
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  from iceberg lettuce because it is just probably
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  90 something percent. water. So to get a few
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  more nutrients, even though water is very extremely
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  important, but I can get that from other sources.
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  And so I just switched over to romaine lettuce.
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  It gives us a little bit more. So with that,
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  with the spring greens, I put the romaine lettuce
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  in and there are common varieties of the spring
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  greens. There's the spinach, arugula, watercress,
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  dandelion greens. Those dandelion greens, my
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  grandma, I used to go with her to pick those
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  out of the backyard and she would wash them down
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  real good and she'd put them in that pot and
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  she would cook them and we would have those for
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  dinner. They were delicious after she seasoned
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  them up, even though she did a lot of unhealthy
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  seasoning like the fat bag, the bacon, bacon
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  grease, all of that, but they were good. and
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  plus I was young then and so I didn't know the
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  difference. I just knew that they just taste
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  very good. And then also young kale is added
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  to that. Now the peak season for those is early
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  spring through early summer. That's from March
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  through June before the hot weather makes them
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  bitter. And they do taste good when they are
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  not bitter. And so the nutritional benefits of
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  the spring grains are that they are high in vitamin
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  C, E, and K plus iron calcium and fiber and then
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  you can prepare them and then there's I will
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  be adding a brief, I wouldn't call it a recipe,
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  but just some suggestions, yeah, preparation
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  suggestions. You can do them raw, you know, and
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  toss them, the leaves, like the arugula, like
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  I had just mentioned about how I do my salads.
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  And you mix the baby greens into fresh salads
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  with lemon and cheese, and that is very good.
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  And then put a healthy oil and like an olive
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  oil and of vinegar or something on on top mix
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  that and then with some oregano or something
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  and mix shake that up and then just pour that
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  over as your dressing and then you can have them
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  steamed or sauteed and then you can also add
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  them in soups and curries. Now I just want to
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  throw out a little um a little fact here did
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  you know did you know that the body often responds
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  to emotional stress and physical stress using
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  many of the same biological pathways. Some stress
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  hormones released during emotional distress can
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  affect your heart rate, your blood pressure,
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  and blood vessel function. That's one reason
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  researchers continue studying the connection
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  between emotional health and cardiovascular health.
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  Now I just have something for you to think about,
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  something to ponder, something to reflect on.
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  Just ask yourself and just think about this.
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  What healthy activity helps you manage stress
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  during your recovery journey? Maybe it's walking.
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  Maybe it's prayer. Maybe it's journaling. Maybe
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  it's spending time with a friend. Whatever your
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  answer, consider how that activity contributes
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  to your overall well -being. Now, just so you
• 9:48
  can stay connected to Wellness by Words, I just
• 9:52
  first want to thank you for spending part of
• 9:54
  your day with me. And if today's episode was
• 9:57
  helpful, please consider following From Recovery
• 10:00
  to Wellness and sharing it with another survivor,
• 10:03
  caregiver, or family member, or even a friend.
• 10:08
  You can also connect with Wellness by Words for
• 10:10
  Recovery, focused journals, trackers, and educational
• 10:14
  resources designed to support your wellness journey
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  at the link below in the notes. And then I also
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  want to add that disclaimer that this podcast
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  is intended for educational purposes only and
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  should not be considered medical advice. Always
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  consult your physician or healthcare team regarding
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  your personal medical situation. So until next
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  time, remember recovery is a journey. Wellness
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  is something we continue pursuing every single
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  day. Take care of your heart, take care of yourself
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  and be well.