You may call it “just stress.” A tough week. A demanding job. Financial pressure. Family tension
But your heart doesn’t know the difference between emotional stress and physical danger.
Every time you feel overwhelmed, your brain triggers a cascade of biological reactions. Your heart rate rises, blood vessels tighten, and your body floods with stress hormones. When that response becomes chronic, it doesn’t just affect your mood. It can silently strain your cardiovascular system over time.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming 1 in every 5 lives. And a growing body of research shows that chronic stress is not just an emotional burden, but a measurable risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
How does stress increase the risk of heart disease?
At Amen Clinics, we approach this question from a brain-first perspective. Your brain controls your stress response. It shapes your hormones, influences your habits, and ultimately plays a powerful role in protecting, or harming, your heart.
Related: Psychocardiology Explained: The Overlooked Heart-Mind Connection
Medically reviewed by Kandace Licciardi, MD, Amen Clinics.
When Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) individuals seek mental health support, an often-overlooked factor can add complexity to their condition.
They frequently experience racial trauma or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS). Indeed, at least 63 percent of Black Americans and 47 percent of Latino individuals have reported experiencing race-based traumatic events. In other studies, 58 percent of Asian adults report that they’ve ever undergone unfair treatment based on their race or ethnicity.
According to research from the American Psychological Association, unlike post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), RBTS is not a mental health disorder but rather a mental and emotional injury that can occur as a result of living within a racist system or experiencing events of racism.
This distinction reflects what BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month aims to highlight: how systemic experiences can affect mental health, as well as brain health, without defining or labeling identity as illness.
When it comes to treatment, it’s important that members of the BIPOC community seek help from mental health providers who are sensitive to the effects of this type of trauma.
RBTS symptoms can look very similar to PTSD and can include depressed mood, hypervigilance, low self-esteem, and/or somatic symptoms such as headaches, GI distress, and insomnia, to name a few.
In this blog, we’ll examine BIPOC mental health disparities, key stressors, and also brain-based approaches to care.
Chronic stress can contribute to persistent inflammation and, as a result, weaken your blood vessels and lead to the build-up of plaque. Accumulated plaque and narrowed blood vessels can increase the workload of the heart, setting the stage for atherosclerosis.
When your brain senses a threat, whether it is real or perceived, it immediately releases adrenaline and then cortisol. This activates the fight-or-flight response, often called the stress response. This is your body’s built-in survival system. It prepares you to react quickly by either confronting the challenge in front of you or getting away from danger.
These chemicals trigger the physical changes you feel, such as a racing heart, faster breathing, and a surge of energy. All of it is designed to prepare you to take action quickly.
You might notice your heart pounding, a rush of energy, or your breathing becoming faster and more shallow.
Adrenaline provides your body with a quick energy boost, which then speeds up your heart and breathing. Cortisol helps in maintaining that energy so that your body can stay alert if the stress continues. Cortisol and adrenaline trigger physical changes that impact your heart and blood vessels. Your blood pressure goes up, the heart rate rises, and the blood vessels begin to tighten to support faster delivery of nutrients and oxygen.
In the short term, the stress response helps you react quickly and stay focused. However, with prolonged stress, the physiological changes can take a toll on your body.
Ongoing activation of the stress response in your body can strain the heart, fuel inflammation, and increase the likelihood of chronic heart problems. With everyday life challenges, a little stress is useful as it can sharpen your focus and energy. But constant stress keeps the fight-or-flight switch on, which can gradually strain your heart and overall health.
Research acknowledges chronic stress – including marital stress, trauma, work stress and childhood abuse – as an important and often overlooked risk factor in the development of heart disease.
Although stress alone may not be considered a direct cause of heart disease, science shows a strong correlation. In a recent longitudinal study chronic psychological pressure over time was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease event among middle-aged participants – even when they were physically active and had social support.
Indeed, stress is an important piece of the heart health puzzle. When prolonged, it can indirectly contribute to heart disease by raising blood pressure, fueling inflammation, and disrupting some metabolic processes. The metabolic disruption impacts cholesterol balance and blood sugar regulation.
Such changes add another layer of strain on your cardiovascular system, particularly if they persist over a long time. Research has also identified connections between chronic stress and a high risk of major cardiovascular conditions like arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms), heart attack, and stroke.
When stress persists day after day, hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol may remain elevated, which can keep your body in a constant state of alert. In the long run, elevated stress hormones can disrupt your normal cardiovascular function, causing your heart to work harder than it normally would.
Chronic stress can also contribute to persistent inflammation and, as a result, weaken your blood vessels and lead to the build-up of plaque. Accumulated plaque and narrowed blood vessels can increase the workload of the heart, setting the stage for atherosclerosis.
The heart rhythm can also be affected, and in some cases, lead to irregular beats or contribute to slower recovery after physical exertion. Poorly managed stress can compound other risk factors by encouraging habits like inactivity, poor sleep, and unhealthy eating, which place further strain on your heart.
Related: 10 Natural Ways to Calm Stress
Your brain has significant influence over your heart health. After all, your brain controls your stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure. Your brain senses or perceives threats. Your brain triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol to prepare your body to respond. If these hormones are activated too often, it places ongoing strain on your heart and can gradually wear down your cardiovascular system.
Mental health conditions impact the brain, and vice versa. For example, depression, trauma, and anxiety can be associated with sluggish activity in the prefrontal cortex and too much activity in the amygdala. This can set the stage for a heightened stress response.
Indeed, an overactive amygdala can keep the stress response switch on. And an underactive prefrontal cortex, which is instrumental in regulating and calming the amygdala, may lack the power to calm the stress response. This contributes to chronic elevated stress hormones, causing greater wear and tear on the cardiovascular system.
Thus, the effects of mental health conditions and brain health are very much linked to your heart health. What supports brain function and mental health also helps heart health.
As mentioned, when stress goes unchecked, unhealthy coping behaviors add to the increased risk of developing heart disease. The connection between chronic stress and heart disease unfolds as follows:
While everyone goes through stress at one time or another, some people are more vulnerable to stress-related heart problems, including the following:
Your body is pretty good about giving you feedback when something is wrong. Your heart is no exception. When stress levels are affecting the heart, here’s what you might experience:
If you experience one or more of the above symptoms, seek medical attention. Do not self-diagnose. It is always better to err on the side of caution. Let a medical professional make the correct diagnosis and treatment for reducing stress.
Even if you are in good health, finding ways to reduce stress will make you feel better. Here are some effective strategies to reduce stress and support heart health:
Stress is a normal part of life. But when it becomes constant or overwhelming, that’s an indication it is time to get help.
Consider reaching out to a healthcare or mental health professional as soon as possible if you experience any of the following:
If you experience physical symptoms, start with a medical evaluation to rule out underlying conditions. If you notice emotional symptoms (such as panic attacks, ongoing anxiety, sadness, or depression), a qualified mental health professional can help you address the root causes and develop a plan for recovery.
You don’t have to wait until stress takes a serious toll on your brain or your heart. Early support can make all the difference.
Amen Clinics begins with assessing brain function, lifestyle factors, and stress patterns to get a clear picture of how your brain could be affecting your heart. Our clinicians rely on brain SPECT imaging to see activity patterns in the brain and how the blood flows. This reveals areas affected by trauma, stress, or anxiety.
Our clinicians can see areas where there’s overactivity, as well as areas that do not have enough activity. With the insights SPECT imaging provides, along with clinical assessments and your personal health history, a tailored treatment plan can be devised.
A customized plan may target emotional well-being, stress management, and behavior changes. Amen clinics work with a coordinated approach that ensures brain-focused interventions complement overall health care, supporting both mental and cardiovascular well-being.
This is achieved through the integration of lifestyle strategies like exercise, diet, nutraceuticals, relaxation techniques, and sleep, with existing medical treatments. If there are mental health conditions to be addressed, a customized plan may include any number of targeted therapies, and medication, only if necessary.
One of our patients who struggled with high blood pressure and poor sleep showed measurable improvements after brain-focused interventions. With personalized strategies targeting stress, mood, and behavior, their sleep quality improved, blood pressure stabilized, and overall heart strain decreased.
Though complex, the link between stress and heart disease is real. Chronic stress can affect heart health through multiple pathways, including emotional eating, social withdrawal, and substance abuse. Early evaluation and support can make a meaningful difference, but it’s better to prevent chronic stress by addressing stressors as soon as you notice the symptoms.
Yes. Emotional stress alone can activate the body’s stress response, increasing heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, repeated activation may strain the cardiovascular system, even in the absence of physical exertion.
Chronic stress is generally considered more concerning than short-term stress because it keeps stress hormones elevated for long periods. This ongoing strain may contribute to inflammation, blood pressure changes, and other heart disease risk factors.
Anxiety disorders may contribute to increased heart disease risk by keeping the nervous system in a heightened stress state. This can affect heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels over time.
If stress feels constant, overwhelming, or linked to physical symptoms, mental health support may help. Addressing stress, anxiety, or trauma can be an important part of supporting overall heart health.
Amen Clinics focuses on identifying brain-based stress patterns and creating personalized care plans that support emotional regulation, behavior change, and overall brain and body health.
Chronic stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
About the Reviewer
Dr. Kandace Licciardi is a double board-certified psychiatrist in adult and forensic psychiatry and serves as Medical Director of Amen Clinics Dallas Metro Area. She takes a comprehensive, whole-person approach to care, integrating evidence-based psychiatric treatment with lifestyle, social, and wellness factors. Dr. Licciardi has extensive experience treating depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, and Borderline Personality Disorder, with special expertise in early psychosis intervention. She completed her psychiatry residency at Maimonides Medical Center and her forensic psychiatry fellowship at New York University.
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