When you’re at risk for heart attack, it’s best to eliminate everything that could cause this traumatic event.

And that includes this one “commonsense” factor that can heighten the risk of heart attack.

It’s so commonsense that many people completely ignore it, even though their health is at stake.

Stress has become an everyday issue these days. Right from school to workplaces, everybody is experiencing stress in one form or another. But how does stress affect the body?

Owing to the complexity of stress, it is not easy to pinpoint exactly how it works and increases the risk of heart disease. But experts say that stress can trigger the body to produce more white blood cells. This in turn triggers inflammation in the arteries in those who already have atherosclerosis.

A research team from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School studied the effect of stress on white blood cell production. The volunteers chosen were medical workers who took life-or-death decisions and generally worked in a fast-paced stressful environment. The white blood cell count was found to be higher when the blood was drawn during work than while the volunteers were off-duty.

Also, high levels of stress can contribute to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both of which are important risk factors for heart disease. Other studies have shown that stress has a role to play in the way blood clots are formed, raising the likelihood of a heart attack.

Yet another study focused on mice exposed to stressful conditions not only showed that they had higher white blood cell count, but also were more prone to artery hardening and narrowing. When the arteries become narrow or hard, it increases the chances of plaque formation thus making heart attack more likely.

How we react to stress is also an important factor to take into account. Some people tend to smoke or indulge in alcohol in the hope that it’ll cut down on the stress while all it does is invite other health problems.

As more and more studies are showing how stress is playing such a major role in heart health, it is time that you stop and find out if your lifestyle is making you extremely stressed. If it is, take some time out to relax, go on a vacation, learn yoga or practice simple meditation.

One of the main focus of our simple blood pressure exercises is to reduce stress in your body. This has been found to drastically lower blood pressure. Learn these easy exercises here and watch your blood pressure nosedive…

Watch your cholesterol level spiral down by using this easy method.