My in-laws are very high-stress people and my husband is convinced that they are going to "give themselves" these problems. Is this so?
2006-12-12 05:45:19 · 6 answers · asked by AllieCat 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Heart Diseases
A very very stressful time can bring on a heart attack but there are other factors as well such as, weight, age, fitness, smoking, if it runs in your family,
2006-12-12 05:51:05 · answer #1 · answered by nursej 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In a way, yes. The thought that one can "give himself" a heart attack comes from the fact that we Americans eat just too much fat and clog our arteries. The trouble with clogging our arteries is that we don' t know they are being clogged until they are about 80% clogged.
Well, when they get that clogged, stress or anger, which will cause our arteries to constrict in order to raise our blood pressure (as far as the body knows, you're getting ready to fight something or run away real fast, so it's getting ready), and an 80% clogged artery that now is narrowed by stress is a whole lot narrower than it should be, and that's when we start to feel "angina," or chest pain. The heart isn't getting enough oxygen, and so the muscles of the heart begin to hurt. Eventually, if we ignore this, our arteries can be so clogged that we can in fact cause ourselves to have a heart attack, but we can only do this if we have had heart disease for a long time before, and were about to have a heart attack anyway.
So, in a way we can give ourselves a heart attack, but only if our heart is really sick to begin with. You wouldn't have to worry about that, I would think.
A stroke, on the other hand is a little different. There are two kinds of strokes, the kind that is like a heart attack, where an artery gets clogged, or there is the kind that bleeds, where a vein or artery breaks. When it does that, the brain cells downstream of the break don't get the blood and oxygen they need, and they die. Remember the raising of the blood pressure mentioned just a moment ago? If a blood vessel in the brain is weak already, then that raise in blood pressure can make the vein break.
So, yes, some people can "give themselves" a heart attack or stroke, but only if there has been a problem that they haven't known about for a long time.
A healthy person can't just "give himself" a heart attack or stroke.
2006-12-12 14:36:17 · answer #2 · answered by eutychusagain 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely. Many studies have been done on this phenomenon they classifiy these people as type a. they are twice as likely to suffer from a cardovascular event as type b people.
The Type A personality, also known as the Type A Behavior Pattern, is a set of characteristics that includes being impatient, excessively time-conscious, insecure about one's status, highly competitive, aggressive, hostile, and incapable of relaxation.[1] Type A individuals are often highly achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about the smallest of delays. The Type B personality, in contrast, is patient, relaxed, and easy-going.
2006-12-12 13:51:04 · answer #3 · answered by rewards23 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stess can elevate blood pressure over an extended period, and trigger the release of high levels of clot-forming platelets. BP over time, platelets as a trigger.
2006-12-12 13:50:25 · answer #4 · answered by Underlined name. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it has been proven that people who lead high stress lives are more likely to suffer physical problems. You can control your respirations and pulse, and even your heartrate with your mind... if you put your mind to it!
2006-12-12 13:53:03 · answer #5 · answered by TK M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The have to have the pre-existing condition. So all this stress might increase their chances if they are predisposed
2006-12-12 13:51:01 · answer #6 · answered by christigmc 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋