Stress Can Increase Your Risk for Heart Disease Stress is a
normal part of life. Stress can come from physical causes, such
as not getting enough sleep or having an illness. It can come
from mental causes, such as not having enough money or death of
a loved one, or less dramatic causes, such as everyday
obligations and pressures that make you feel that you are not in
control. Your body’s response to stress was designed to protect
you, but if it is constantly activated it can harm you. Cortisol
is a hormone produced in response to stress. Studies suggest
that the high levels of cortisol from chronic stress can
increase blood cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
These are traditional risk factors for heart disease. Chronic
stress can also cause direct physiological changes that promote
atherosclerosis, the slow buildup of plaque deposits in the
heart's arteries. Relatively minor stresses also can trigger
heart problems, such as myocardial ischemia. This is a condition
in which the heart doesn't get e