Unwind and Protect: The Surprising Impact of Stress on Your Heart

Project: “Heart, You’re Simply Cosmic!”

Lately, the link between heart diseases and mental health issues has been a hot topic among doctors and scientists. To shed some light on how our mental well-being affects our hearts and what we can do about it, our magazine sat down with psychiatrist Artem Baryshev.

Artem Baryshev on Psychosomatics

Psychosomatics is a buzzword these days, but the way our minds influence our bodies is still a bit of a mystery. Artem Baryshev explains that scientists haven’t quite pinned down the exact processes triggered by psychosomatics. However, the connection between our mental and physical health is undeniable and goes both ways.

Our mental state can impact our physical health, and vice versa. This two-way street can lead to specific illnesses, known as psychosomatics. There are plenty of theories out there trying to explain how this all works, but none have been able to fully and accurately describe all these processes. Scientists are still unraveling the mysteries of our complex bodies. In psychosomatics, there are no simple, straightforward connections. It’s all about the complex interplay between our nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems.

Which Mental Health Issues Are Most Harmful to Our Health?

Anxiety and depression are currently the top culprits when it comes to causing physical health problems. To be more precise, they can make existing conditions worse or act as triggers for new ones.

Including Heart Diseases?

Yes, indeed. While it’s not accurate to say that depression alone causes heart attacks (as heart attacks are complex issues), it’s well-established that in people with ischemic heart disease, having depression at the same time significantly increases the risk of a heart attack. The same goes for anxiety disorders.

Depression can cause a slowdown in the nervous system and a narrowing of the range of heart rate frequencies in response to physical or emotional stress. As a result, the cardiovascular system loses its ability to adapt to such stresses, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes when they occur.

Generally, the link between mental health issues and the development of cardiovascular diseases involves a non-specific inflammatory process in our bodies. This inflammation can lead to the progression of atherosclerosis, which significantly affects the health of the heart and blood vessels, eventually resulting in heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. On the other hand, this inflammation can also lead to depression. So, in a way, ischemic heart disease and depression are both inflammatory diseases.

What Symptoms Does a Person Experience When Anxiety or Depression Manifest Physically?

Most often, people notice a rapid heartbeat, irregular heartbeats, and extra contractions known as extrasystoles. When these symptoms appear for the first time, people often become alarmed and start focusing on their heart’s functioning. In many cases, these sensations are not immediately life-threatening or harmful to health, as they are not symptoms of direct heart damage. Most often, these are manifestations of anxiety that the person is not fully aware of.

There is a process of transforming anxious experiences into physical sensations, in this case, somatic symptoms related to the cardiovascular system. This process is called somatization, a classic manifestation of the psychosomatics we are discussing.

Another group of heart-related symptoms common in anxiety and depressive disorders are various cardialgias (heart pains). Typically, patients describe them as tingling or short spasms that they can precisely locate, literally pointing to the spot and saying, “It hurts here.”

Could These Unpleasant Sensations Indicate Real Heart Problems?

Therefore, self-diagnosis is not advisable. If you experience the above symptoms or any others, you should consult a doctor. The first specialist to visit with your complaints is your primary care physician. They will conduct an examination and prescribe necessary tests to determine the next steps.

What Can Be Done About Anxiety?

The gold standard for treating anxiety disorders and depression is psychotherapy combined with antidepressants. These methods can also be used separately, but for severe disorders, a combination of both is more effective. Again, self-diagnosis and self-treatment are not recommended. Consulting a doctor to determine the optimal treatment plan is essential. Psychotherapists and psychiatrists are best equipped to handle these issues.

Simple Advice for Those Who Constantly Worry and “Strain” Their Hearts

If you find it challenging to take care of yourself, “mindfulness practices” can help. There is plenty of accessible literature on this topic offering simple and effective programs for overcoming stress, anxiety, and depression. These practices are easy to learn and can be done independently. Just 15–20 minutes of daily training can yield good results in a couple of weeks.

However, prevention is always better. Maintain a balance between work and rest, engage in regular physical activity, eat a balanced diet, and surround yourself with a supportive environment. It may sound cliché, but these are the foundations of your health. And it’s a fact.

Text: Anastasia Teteryuk