With February being National Heart Month, it’s important to reevaluate what you can be doing each day to improve your heart health. Many Americans don’t take their heart health seriously, which can lead to devastating consequences. In fact, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. To reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, and to help your heart perform at its best, there are a few easy ways to improve your heart health. Eat dark chocolate Researchers have found an association between dark chocolate and lowered blood
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Monthly Archives February 2016
The Connection Between Stress and Heart Disease
Stress is a normal part of life, and stressful situations can often leave you feeling tense, anxious, irritable or overwhelmed. But if you have chronic stress, or aren’t managing your stress in a healthy way, it can have negative effects and contribute to serious conditions like heart disease. How stress affects your heart When you experience stress, your body releases the hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline temporarily boosts your circulation, blood pressure, heart rate, and carbohydrate metabolism to prepare your muscles for exertion, or the “fight or flight” response to a stressful circumstance, which is quite normal. Chronic stress, however, continually exposes
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