tenda Health

It is well recognized that anger, emotional distress, and other negative emotions raise the risk of stroke, particularly in the hour following their experience. But what is the scientific basis for this relationship? What impact do our emotions have on our brain and blood vessels?

The stress response—also referred to as the fight-or-flight response—holds the key to the solution. This is a normal response that gets our body ready to handle an actual or imagined threat or challenge¹. Our brain triggers the sympathetic nervous system when we experience anger or upset, causing the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones cause our blood to clot more frequently and raise our breathing, heart, and blood pressure rates².

These adaptations come in handy when we need to defend ourselves or flee from danger. On the other hand, they can harm our cardiovascular system and raise the risk of stroke if they continue too long or too often³. The brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients when a blood vessel bursts or becomes blocked, resulting in a stroke. This may lead to the death of brain cells and affect the abilities that the brain cells regulate, including speech, movement, and memory⁴.

Anger and emotional distress can quickly lead to a stroke, according to numerous studies. For instance, an extensive worldwide study comprising 13,462 participants from 32 nations discovered that approximately 9% of stroke survivors experienced agitation or anger an hour prior to the onset of stroke symptoms¹. Another study discovered that the risk of having a stroke within the next two hours was more than three times higher for people who had angry outbursts than for those who did not⁶

Thus, in order to avoid stroke and other cardiovascular issues, it’s critical that we control our emotions and stress levels. A number of techniques to accomplish this are:

• Engaging in relaxation exercises like yoga, tai chi, meditation, or deep breathing
• Getting qualified help or counseling if we struggle with severe or persistent anger management problems
• Rather than repressing or acting out, we should communicate our emotions with a calm and productive approach
• Avoiding or developing better coping mechanisms for people or situations that make us angry or upset
• Regular physical activity can help us feel better emotionally and physically while also reducing stress
• Consuming a nutritious, well-balanced diet can help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure
• Giving up smoking and consuming less alcohol can damage our blood vessels and raise our risk of stroke

We can enhance our general health and quality of life by implementing these tips, which will also lower our risk of stroke.

USE THE LINKS BELOW TO READ MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

1. Anger or emotional upset may trigger stroke – Harvard Health ↩︎
2. Anger, emotional upset could trigger a stroke – The Washington Post ↩︎
3. From irritated to enraged: Anger’s toxic effect on the heart ↩︎
4. Stroke: Strategies to prevent, treat, and recover from a “brain attack” ↩︎
5. Anger or emotional upset may trigger stroke – Harvard Health ↩︎
6. Angry outbursts may boost heart attack, stroke risk | News | Harvard T ↩︎