Anxiety and Heart Problems

Introduction

The link between anxiety and heart disorders has not been thoroughly examined and evaluated throughout the years. There appears to be a potential connection between anxiety, depression, and heart disease, although it has not been thoroughly documented. Anxiety disorders can play a crucial role in severe heart conditions. It may also exacerbate an underlying cardiovascular condition. At times, the effects of anxiety on the heart are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. A patient may feel a near-death experience or remain utterly shocked. They may hesitate to do any regular activity they previously used to. Recurring anxious thoughts may hamper standard sleep patterns. Negative thoughts and drastic shortsighted shortly may result in increased blood pressure or an increased heart rate. If this is continuous and there is no treatment done, in the long run, the overuse of the heart due to emotional stress can damage the cardiac muscles.

What Are the Effects of Anxiety On the Heart?

An anxious person puts extra strain on their heart. Rapid breathing always has adverse effects on the heart if not controlled immediately. Signs of anxiety are highlighted even more drastically in a patient who is already suffering from a history of cardiovascular disease. Anxiety may possibly have links with certain risk factors mentioned below.

• Tachycardia or increased heartbeat.

• Increased blood pressure.

• Acute heart attack.

• Chest heaviness.

• Difficulty in breathing.

• Excessive sweating.

• Dizziness.

• Palpitations.

• Cardiac arrest.

• Tightness of the chest.

• Feeling of benign crushed.

• Heaviness on the chest.

• Abdominal cramps.

• Muscle stiffness.

• Pain in the neck and shoulders.

• Weakness.

How to Recover From an Anxiety-Triggered Heart Condition?

The increased amount of fear, uncontrollable negative thoughts, and uncertainty of the future are the reasons that lead to anxiety-driven heart issues. A patient may be anxious to such an extent that they may predispose themselves to a heart attack. However, a significant impact on the heart requires immediate recovery. Therefore, the patient should be educated to relax. Below are some of the means of recovering a heart that is suffering due to triggered anxiety.

• Regular exercise.

• Punctuality of prescription medicines.

• Following with the healthcare provider.

• Counseling session.

• Eating a healthy diet.

• Maintain a proper sleep schedule.

• Reconnecting with friends.

• Therapy session with a psychiatrist.

• Regular evaluation of the cardiovascular system.

• Not skipping medications.

• Not overeating medication due to sudden anxiety attacks.

• Anxiety management.

• Relaxation exercises.

• Sensory focusing.

• Yoga techniques.

• Cognitive restructuring.

• Exposure therapy.

• Cardiac rehabilitation.

• Pharmacotherapy.

What Are the Different Types of Anxiety Disorders That May Result in Heart Disease?

There are several categories of anxiety conditions that may hamper heart functions if not diagnosed soon or treated promptly. Mentioned below are some of them.

• Panic disorder (a mental health condition characterized by recurrent and unexpected panic attacks).

• Severe agitation.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (a mental health disorder triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event).

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (a mental health disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or rituals).

• Bipolar condition (a mood disorder marked by episodes of extreme mood swings, including manic episodes of heightened energy and depressive episodes of low mood and energy).

• Major depressive disorder (persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and a variety of physical and emotional symptoms).

• Psychotic disorders.

• Personality disorders.

• Eating disorders.

• Schizophrenia (a chronic mental disorder characterized by a combination of hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, and reduced emotional expression).

• Mood disorders.

• Phobias (anxiety disorders marked by excessive and irrational fear of specific objects, situations, or activities).

• Insomnia (a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing poor-quality sleep).

• Substance abuse.

• Addiction recovery.

• Dementia (a syndrome characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities).

• Generalized anxiety disorder.

• Social anxiety disorder.

How Are Anxiety Issues and Heart Problems Linked?

Multiple mechanisms have been studied that prove some linkage between anxiety and heart problems. There are also many schools of thought on this very topic. Nothing has been definitive, and today's explanations are hypotheses and models. One potential mechanism mediating the relationship between anxiety and cardiac health is explained below.

• A patient with anxiety disorders or other disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, etc., may cause the patient to develop some behavioral changes.

• Behavioral changes include eating a less healthy diet, not maintaining regular hygiene, reduced adherence to any treatment modality, increased smoking, disturbed sleeping patterns, or less daily physical activity.

• Such behavioral changes will lead to physiological changes in the cardiovascular system and the entire body.

• Physiological changes include autonomic dysfunction, decreased sex drive, inflammation of the cardiac muscles, platelet dysfunction, endothelial dysfunction, cardiac arrest, heart palpitations, and arrhythmias.

• All the above will lead to adverse outcomes on the cardiac system if not treated on time.

How to Diagnose Anxiety-Induced Heart Problems?

To diagnose anxiety and related disorders, specific therapy sessions are necessary. The patient’s family also needs to discuss the behavioral changes experienced at home. Diagnosing cardiovascular disease is generally quite challenging because symptoms of anxiety-related disorders overlap them. It becomes even more complicated if the patient is already a known cardiovascular patient. Restlessness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and poor concentration are pervasive in patients who suffer from cardiovascular conditions. Nausea, chest pain, and palpitations are also common clinical manifestations of panic disorder or anxiety-related disorder. It may also be possible that the healthcare provider may risk the cardiac symptoms to anxiety, thus ignoring the underlying cardiac issue. It should be noted that anxiety disorders are pervasive and persistent, and they are routinely linked with poor mental and cardiac health. Thus, focusing on the cardinal psychological symptoms is critical to improving the diagnosis, but highlighting the present cardiac symptoms is also necessary.

Conclusion

Anxiety and other anxiety-related disorders, such as panic disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, are widespread among all patients suffering from cardiovascular and other heart-related diseases. They are all strongly linked with faulty cardiovascular functioning, including coronary artery disease and heart failure onset and progression. The association between anxiety and heart problems has outcomes likely arbitrated by behavioral and physiologic implementation. This also involves autonomic dysfunction, inflammation, as well as platelet aggregation. Given their connections to substandard results, the diagnosis and the treatment plan of anxiety disorders are condemned. However, with appropriate diagnosis and careful treatment, anxious patients have all the possibilities for a revamped quality of life and cardiac health.