Feeling stressed all the time could raise your risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a new study.
There is an evident association between both acute and chronic emotional stress and risk of stroke.
This is called a hemorrhagic stroke. An aneurysm is one of the most common causes of a hemorrhagic stroke.
According to the study authors, anger or emotional upset was linked to an approximately 30% higher risk of having a stroke within one hour of experiencing those emotions. Another potential stroke trigger revealed by the study was heavy physical exertion, although the evidence was less convincing.
The greater the anxiety level, the higher risk of having a stroke, according to research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke from December 2013. The study is the first in which researchers linked anxiety and stroke independent of other factors such as depression.
A stroke happens when blood flow to your brain is stopped. It is an emergency situation. It can be caused by a narrowed blood vessel, bleeding, or a clot that blocks blood flow.
Anxiety can make it harder to move certain muscles, especially if you are feeling weak and hyperventilating, but in a stroke it's not uncommon to have absolutely no ability to move a muscle at all. Facial paralysis, where your face starts to "fall" and you drool or choke because you cannot move is a stroke symptom.
Depression May Double the Risk of Having a Stroke. Study reveals that persistent depression may increase stroke risk even after the symptoms of depression go away. As if depression isn't serious enough, it's now linked to stroke.
Participants with depression, compared with those free of it, experienced a significant increased risk for development of stroke (combined RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.17–1.54).
The reason is simple. Stroke impacts the brain, and the brain controls our behavior and emotions. You or your loved one may experience feelings of irritability, forgetfulness, carelessness or confusion. Feelings of anger, anxiety or depression are also common.
High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and is the main cause for increased risk of stroke among people with diabetes.
A stroke, sometimes call a brain attack, happens in one of two ways: A blocked artery or a ruptured artery. A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes are leading causes of stroke. One in 3 U.S. adults has at least one of these conditions or habits.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.
Stress Shrinks the Brain
While the overall volume of the brain tends to remain about the same, it has been found that chronic stress in otherwise healthy individuals can cause areas of the brain associated with emotions, metabolism, and memory to shrink.
Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.
In addition to the classic stroke symptoms associated with the FAST acronym, around 7-65% of people undergoing a stroke will experience some form of a headache. People describe a stroke-related headache as a very severe headache that comes on within seconds or minutes.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is also associated with severe mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, that hinder the rehabilitation of surviving patients.
Effect of Stress on Blood Vessels
But anxiety can also increase blood pressure, putting additional stress on the blood vessel walls, making them stiffer and decreasing the amount of blood that flows through the body. Combined these forces can lead to serious blood clots that can cause blockages in the heart and lungs.
One of the most common stroke mimics is a seizure, which researchers believe account for as many as 20% of all stroke mimics. Other common stroke mimics include migraines, syncope, sepsis, brain tumor and metabolic derangement (low sodium or low blood sugar).
There are two main causes of stroke: a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Some people may have only a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), that doesn't cause lasting symptoms.