Dr Anna Rolleston The Cardiac Clinic

During the last month or so I have been invited to speak to groups about stress and its effect on our hearts. There has been an increase in awareness about stress and about the need to maintain that often elusive concept of ‘work-life balance'.

Stress is a definite risk factor in the development of heart disease. In fact, stress is a risk factor in the development of many disease processes that occur in our bodies.

The problem with stress is that it is difficult to measure. Stress is not a factor like blood pressure or cholesterol where we can measure something, attach a number to it and then tell you if your number is appropriate. Stress is also not something that you, as the person experiencing it, can accurately gauge either. Most people I meet don't feel stressed because stress is normal, it is how they live their life.

Even if you thrive on stress – it motivates you and helps you to achieve your goals –physiologically it is still a stress on your system and can cause negative changes in your body. We as human beings are good at using stress to our advantage, but we are not good at de-stressing. The more stress in your life, the more important de-stressing activities are for you.
It's not a case of 'I don't have time for relaxation” it's more a case of if you do not relax, the stress in your life well may force a down regulation upon you. For example, a heart attack will certainly cause a down regulation in the way you lead your life.

Stress can often manifest as an increase in blood pressure – especially when you are exercising. I often find people who seem fit and healthy often have an altered blood pressure response to exercise as a result of stress. If you have high blood pressure and that high blood pressure is caused by stress you can be medicated so that your blood pressure is forced lower by a pharmacological agent. But, if you do not manage your stress better, the negative physiological alterations are almost inevitable. So what is the solution? We cannot remove stress from our lives entirely. We cannot prevent periods of high stress associated with, for example, relationship conflicts, deaths of family or friends and raising children, but we can manage it better. We can ensure that we do something every week that we love. Something that is totally relaxing and enjoyable.

Whatever activity works for you as a de-stress, it has to be something that gets you out of your usual routine and especially gets you out of thinking about all the things that you associate with stress. Yoga and tai chi are fantastic options as they are slow and force you to concentrate on the task at hand, as opposed to what is usually in your head.

Empty your head of some of the stuff flying around in there by keeping a notepad. Your thoughts are better on a piece of paper than moving at a million miles an hour in your head. Once you have ‘downloaded' those thoughts onto your notepad, go for a walk around the Mount, stroll along the sand with your better half, curl up for a half hour with a good magazine, potter around your garden – open your eyes and see the world, smell the roses, breathe, be calm and relax.