For a while now, most researchers agree that mental health can indirectly and directly impact physical health. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, alter people’s ability to perform positive behaviours like exercise. In the long-term, this could seriously take a toll on your body, increasing the risk of various bodily problems.
Anxiety plays a significant role in determining someone’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle. For most, anxiety disorders can be the gateway to future cardiovascular diseases since anxiety is commonly associated with the incidence and progression of heart problems. There are many potential behavioural and physiological changes associated with anxiety disorders that worsen cardiac outcomes. Anxiety disorders can lead you to change your diet, reduce physical activity, and increase smoking habits. These behavioural changes lead to more physiological defects which ultimately affect the heart. Inflammation plays a key role in the development/progression of cardiac disease. Researchers in this field say individuals with anxiety disorders have many inflammatory markers related to bad cardiac health. Results from a massive study, including approximately 250,000 patients, demonstrated that anxiety increased risk of coronary artery disease. However, while half the results showed a prominent relationship, the other half did not conclude a significant direct relationship between anxiety and CAD. It is important to keep in mind that anxiety could give rise to these behavioural changes indirectly.
According to some researchers, a person’s risk of stroke increases by 24% if the individual suffers from anxiety disorders. The main causal factor is psychosocial stress, which is a known symptom of anxiety disorders. Psychosocial stress can be caused by personal, work or school related problems but can also be due to any persistent stressors. Persistent stress increases inflammation and the risk of developing plaques and stiffness of blood vessels, both of which are indicators of bad heart health. However, there is no evidence to support that differing levels of anxiety cause a greater or lesser risk for stroke. Although the direct effects of anxiety on cardiac health are still obscure, its indirect impact cannot be ignored. People with anxiety engage in unhealthy behaviours which can increase their chance of diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, obesity and smoking, which all risk factors for cardiac disease. Individuals with anxiety are 48% more at risk of cardiac death. In short, individuals suffering from anxiety should engage in healthy lifestyle habits and behaviours to prevent poor outcomes like heart disease.
The flip side of this relationship is that anxiety doesn’t always lead to poor cardiac health. Often, individuals who suffer from heart illness or stroke experience heightened anxiety after the fact. Unfortunately, findings show that stroke patients with anxiety are often associated with poorer health outcomes. Phobic and generalized anxiety disorder are types of anxiety that can worsen someone’s ability to recover after a stroke. Firstly, phobic anxiety is the fear of specific situations or stimuli. According to many scholarly articles, phobic anxiety had potential benefits in post-stroke patients because it prompted a sense of urgency to better their health and lifestyle due to fear of a reoccurrence. In contrast, some patients were negatively impacted by their phobic anxiety because it led them to participate in poor health behaviours. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a state of constant anxiety, worry or stress. GAD is prevalent in individuals who suffered from heart failure, and can be seen in up to 26% of survivors. Both types of disorders can lead individuals to experience a persistent state of stress.
Although you may think that anxiety doesn’t affect your health, it can very well bring about heart disease. Anxiety disorders, if left unchecked, can significantly increase your risk of heart disease, and worsen outcomes for individuals with health health issues. However, suffering from an anxiety disorder is far from a death sentence and can be beneficial to those who focus their stress on health promoting behaviours.
Author: Jean Paul Sabat
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