STRESS AS A RISK FACTOR AND TREATMENT FOCUS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Abstract

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood which work in conjunction to deliver oxygen and essential nutrients to all areas of the body. Psychological stress has the ability to affect the cardiovascular system through activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and signaling cascades within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When stress is chronic or excessive, the physiological response to stress becomes maladaptive and can modulate the progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through repeated elevations in blood pressure and chronically high levels of cortisol, the body’s “stress hormone.” Chronic stress can contribute to the progression of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, visceral obesity, and insulin resistance, potentially resulting in atherosclerosis and the onset of CVD. Transcendental meditation (TM) is the most widely studied method of stress reduction and is also considered to be the most effective. Various research studies have shown that TM is effective in reducing CVD risk factors including hypertension, high cholesterol and lipid oxidation, and usage of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. TM has also been shown to decrease atherosclerosis, as well as CVD clinical events including mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Considering the effectiveness of stress reduction in the treatment and prevention of CVD, it may be beneficial to supplement traditional medications and lifestyle modifications with a stress-reducing practice such as TM.