Is stress linked to high cholesterol? The short answer is yes. Feeling under pressure for a long time can raise your risk of high cholesterol and even heart disease. But you can take steps to get your stress under control and protect your heart. Everyone has stress from time to time, whether from work, financial trouble, family problems, or facing a big life change, like moving. When you’re feeling strained, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol, hormones that rev up your heart, sharpen your brain, and help you deal with problems. A little stress may even be good for you by helping you focus on a challenge in your life and work harder to overcome it. Constant stress is another story. If it’s nonstop and lasts for a long time, your stress hormones remain at high levels and put a dangerous strain on your heart and other parts of your body.
High levels of cortisol from chronic or long-term stress can cause high blood cholesterol, along with other heart disease risks. Over time, excess LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol can build up in your arteries, causing them to become clogged and hard. Stress also triggers inflammation that lowers your HDL, or “good,” cholesterol, which helps clear out extra LDL.
If high levels of stress are part of your daily life, you are at risk for high cholesterol, according to research. Part of the link between stress and cholesterol lies in the ways people often handle their stress. In tough times, you may eat unhealthy foods and gain weight, smoke, drink too much alcohol, or spend more time on the couch than exercising. All of these raise your risk of high cholesterol.
If you already have high cholesterol, stress may make it worse. In one study of about 200 middle-aged men and women with high cholesterol who were tracked for 3 years, people with higher levels of stress had elevated cholesterol compared with those who had lower stress.
Young, fit, and otherwise healthy people may have high cholesterol during stressful times in their lives. A study of 208 college students who were 30 or younger had blood tests around the time of their exams. At this stressful time, the students showed higher levels of cortisol, adrenaline, and cholesterol, including total and LDL cholesterol.
Fight the urge to overeat, binge on junk food or alcohol, or smoke when you’re stressed. All of these may seem to help you relax, but they’re short-term fixes that have long-term effects on your health. These unhealthy habits can also raise cholesterol. Lifestyle changes like exercise, healthy eating, and not smoking can help you manage your cholesterol and stress at the same time.
For high-quality stress relief: Could your stress be due to something more serious, like anxiety disorder? While symptoms may be similar, anxiety disorder usually causes feelings of intense fear or panic that come on quickly and happen more often than typical stress. See your doctor if you have any of these serious signs:
- They’ll examine you to diagnose an anxiety disorder or depression, then refer you for other treatment if you need it.
SOURCES: University of Rochester Medical Center: “Stress Can Increase Your Risk for Heart Disease.” British Heart Foundation: “Stress.” Mental Health America: “Chronic Pain and Mental Health.” Mayo Clinic: “Chronic stress puts your health at risk,” “High cholesterol,” “Tips to keep stress from hurting your heart,” “Anxiety disorders.” eLife Sciences: “Acute stress enhances adult rat hippocampal neurogenesis and activation of newborn neurons via secreted astrocytic FGF2.” Johns Hopkins Medicine: “Risk Factors for Heart Disease: Don’t Underestimate Stress,” “Cholesterol in the Blood.” Hormone Health Network: “Dyslipidemia.” Medicine (Baltimore): “What are the effects of psychological stress and physical work on blood lipid profiles?” Scandinavian Journal of Public Health: “The relationship between job stress and dyslipidemia.” International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health: “Stress and cardiovascular disease risk in female law enforcement officers.” Vojnosanitetski Pregled: “Work stress-related lipid disorders and arterial hypertension in professional drivers: a cross-sectional study.” University of Nevada, Reno: “Releasing Stress Through the Power of Music.”
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What to Do About Stress-Related High Cholesterol
Get regular check-ups with your doctor to monitor your cholesterol levels.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources.
Avoid sugary drinks and foods high in added sugars.
Lose weight if you are overweight or obese. Aim for a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.
Exercise regularly. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or a combination of both each week.
Fight back with stress management techniques like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises.
Contact michoesmedicalcentre today to schedule an appointment. Call us at +256701364362 or visit us in person at Michoes Medical Centre, located near the Kumi Town Centre. Our experienced doctors and healthcare team are ready to help you manage your stress-related high cholesterol and achieve a healthier heart.