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Heart Health and Work

Jan 25, 2012; 9:44 AM ET

Deadlines, budgets, family responsibilities and chores-it all adds up to too much stress, a leading factor in the No. 1 killer of women. Practice our working-mom strategies to fight heart disease, and have a little more fun as you do.

Her mother died from a heart attack at age 38, so Lisa Laesch-Vanstone, 25, had been careful to fend off cardiac troubles with exercise and a healthy diet. But she wasn't as careful about anxiety. "I'm a perpetual worrier and put a lot of pressure on myself to excel"-at her job as a children's library aide, at her marriage and at parenting, says the Movi, MI, mom. "So I was in a state of constant stress." Even before her son, parker, now 16 months, was born, Lisa's stress level was scary. She began experiencing stabbing chest pains. Lisa's doctor said her blood pressure was so high that she was in atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart doesn't pump blood effectively that can lead to a stroke. She was prescribed medication but was told these early heart problems were mostly due to stress-which she had to control on her own.

Most of us already know the statistic: "Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the U.S.," says John M. Kennedy, MD, author of The 15 Minute Heart Cure. "Women are constantly told to get mammograms and pap smears, but they're rarely advised to see an internist and get their heart disease risks evaluated." And while many of us are aware of risk factors like family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, one prime trigger we tend to overlook is stress. Which is why Dr. Kennedy notes that a stress test can be an important heart-health evaluation tool, along with the other usual physiological tests. If you aren't yet convinced to take care of your heart, consider recent research that points directly at working moms.

Work and Worry

Women who report high job stress have a 40 percent higher risk for cardiovascular disease than their lower-stress peers, according to the recent landmark harvard women's health study. The research also found that women's fear of job loss was associated with risk factors for high blood pressure, increased cholesterol and excess body weight. Other large studies in denmark and china had similar findings. Of course, an unappreciative boss, difficult co-workers and huge responsibilities can contribute to work stress. And we all know a working mom's tension doesn't turn off at 5 p.m. Add other daily pressures like rush hour traffic, homework battles, spousal friction and mounting bills to the anxiety equation and you'll understand why Duke University Medical Center researchers found that working women with even one child have higher stress levels and risk for health problems like heart attacks.

How does stress lead to cardiac problems? There are direct and indirect toxic effects of stress, according to Dr. Kennedy. Emotional stress stimulates your "fight or flight response," which triggers the flow of stress hormones. Too much stress, too many hormones that may trigger direct effects including increased blood pressure, heart rate and inflammation in the body-all of which can fuel heart issues. Indirect effects result from eating more, exercising less, excessive drinking and especially smoking in response to stressful situations. These, too, can contribute to high blood pressure and poor heart health. "Stress is inevitable," says Jennifer Mieres, MD, associate professor of cardiology at Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine in Mempstead, NY. "Learning how to cope and relax is what's important for keeping your heart healthy."

Reduce Your Risk

"Men and women both experience stress at work," says Jaffar Raza, MD, attending interventional cardiologist at Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute in New York City, "but women don't seem to handle it as well." What's more, time-crunched moms too often sidestep healthy stress remedies for quick coping habits like eating junk food or smoking, which themselves can stress the heart. A better choice: explore effective ways to deal with anxiety and find out what works for you. You may not be able to avoid deadlines and diapers, but you can ease the negative effects of stress and protect your heart with small life improvements.

Turn Off Stress

If you can solve or avoid a stressful situation, do it. Talk out a conflict with your boss or colleague rather than stifling frustrations. Set a time to shut off your blackberry in the evening so you have a peaceful period with no work worries. It turns out that moms are more likely than dads to feel guilt and stress from after-hours, work-related use of smartphones, laptops and iPads, a new University of Toronto study shows. And the 24/7 work connection also means "you never get away from the stress," adds Dr. Raza. A break from technology can mean a break from anxiety, at least for a while.

Cultivate a Healthy Chill

Grabbing a snack from the vending machine or sneaking out of the office early for a few cocktails with friends might help you ease stress temporarily, but neither is heart smart. A better chill choice is the brief relaxation routine Dr. Kennedy advocates in his book, called the b-r-e-a-t-h-e technique (begin, relax, envision, apply, treat, heal, end). It combines guided imagery, breathing work and meditation to promote relaxation, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and sharpen focus and concentration.

Yoga, pilates and tai chi also focus on breathing for relaxation and to decrease cardiac risk. Not only do the poses work your muscles, which strengthens your heart, the deep, focused breaths help slow your heart rate, temporarily lower your blood pressure and quell the flow of stress hormones. Basic meditation is another stress reliever, according to recent research published in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. In the study, those who meditated about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. If you just can't squeeze in a class or session, even breaks during the workday, lunchtime walks and concentrating on your breathing patterns can help reduce your stress level. If you can go outside, so much the better, as sunshine offers mood and heart benefits.

Be Sociable

If you've ever posted on Facebook about accidentally sending your child's lunch to work with your husband and gotten a page full of comments from commiserating moms, you know how valuable a social network can be for easing stress, guilt and self-doubt. "Whether you're concerned about your job, world events or finances, it helps to know you're not alone," says

Dr. Kennedy. "Social isolation increases cardiac risk, so connecting with friends and family-both in person and online-can help keep stress levels down and your heart healthier."

For more tips on how to keep your heart healthy continue to Parenting.com.

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