They say you can heal a broken heart, but an angry heart could be more dangerous to your health

Stress, agitation and anger can lead to heart problems – it’s something we’ve always known.

But a new study from the American Heart Association gives us new insight into why that’s happening, and doctors say the findings also show that these effects might be more widespread, even in healthy people.

“Episodes of anger, intense emotion, emotional stress affect them in the very short term in terms of how their blood vessels function,” said Dr. Sudip Saha, a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic Permanente Group.

Saha said that even though you rarely lose your temper, very short bouts of stress or agitation can still affect your heart.

“The body produces stress hormones adrenaline – called catecholamines – and they constrict blood vessels, increasing blood pressure. A lot of it is a fight-or-flight response,” he said.

He said the new AHA study further illustrates the short-term risks of high anger and stress, even in those not predisposed to heart disease risk.

“Even these short-term episodes can lead to things like a traditional heart attack, stress-related cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome,” Saha warned.

He said stress reduction exercises, mediation and focusing on what you can control are all good ways to deal with it.

“I think the people who are most successful in the long term are the ones who know how to take a step back,” Saha told WTOP.

“Breathing exercises have sometimes been shown to immediately reduce blood pressure,” he said. “Everyone should have a coping mechanism, something that can help them deal with situations in a way that doesn’t raise their blood pressure and potentially cause problems.”

He added that the focus on mental health also plays an important role in this project.

“These things are related,” he reflects. “It’s all about how we react to things, especially those that are beyond our control.”

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