Reducing Stress

Being told you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, or heart failure, or suffered a heart attack that reduced how well your heart pumps has probably made you feel sad, angry, or stressed. You may feel stress at the lifestyle changes you have been asked to make, or at the possibility that your heart problem will get worse. Remember, stress can actually damage your heart, too.

Stress causes your body to release hormones, including adrenaline. While adrenaline and other hormones can give you extra energy, they also elevate your blood pressure and heart rate. If you spend a lot of time feeling stressed, your heart and other parts of your body are being put under constant strain. Long-term stress increases your risk for heart disease, digestive problems, obesity, and other illnesses.

Together with COREG CR, a healthy diet, and regular exercise, reducing your stress can lead to greater heart health. Learning to relax may actually help your heart condition: when you are relaxed, your blood pressure tends to go down, reducing strain on your heart.

We are all different, and have different ways of relaxing. The important thing is to find what works for you.