The Impact of Stress on Heart Health: Andrew’s Story

On a warm fall Saturday, Blue Cross VT employee Andrew Garland was working outside in his yard. He'd recently had two large trees taken down, and he and an acquaintance were chopping wood and carrying it across the lawn. It was heavy physical labor, but not out of the ordinary.

About a half hour into working, Andrew became uncharacteristically exhausted and short of breath. He took breaks, but he couldn’t recover his energy. He loaded more wood into a wheelbarrow and attempted to push it across the lawn, but he only made it halfway before doubling over.

Inside the house, Andrew drank electrolytes to no result. Electrolytes, which can be supplemented through sports drinks or powders, help the body maintain balance and include key elements like sodium, magnesium, and potassium. An hour after drinking a sports drink, Andrew was still exhausted and breathing heavily.

Barely walking, Andrew took a shower and decided he had to go to urgent care. He recalled the story of a Blue Cross VT coworker who’d had a heart attack a few years earlier. But Andrew didn’t have any of the usual symptoms like chest pain or sensation in his left arm. He just felt exhausted and strange.

Before departing, Andrew opened a web browser and searched: Can you have a heart attack without chest pain?

A Silent Heart Attack

On his way to urgent care, Andrew’s intuition rerouted him to the emergency room. Upon arrival, it appeared that Andrew was having a panic attack, which can have similar symptoms of a heart attack—shortness of breath, dizziness, and digestive distress. However, blood work revealed that troponin, a protein that exists in heart muscle cells, was present at very high levels. This indicated heart damage.  

Doctors confirmed that Andrew was having a heart attack.

Andrew stayed in the hospital for four days, during which he was thoroughly examined. After an EKG, MRI, and heart catheterization, an imaging procedure where a tiny tube is threaded into the heart, doctors found no blockages or structural problems that are commonly present when people experience heart attacks.

So, what caused Andrew’s?

Doctors determined that stress was a contributing factor to Andrew’s condition. Stress triggers the release of hormones that can increase blood pressure and heart rate, narrow blood vessels, and cause inflammation and plaque build-up. Another contributing factor was undiagnosed celiac disease, an autoimmune condition where the body reacts to gluten. Untreated celiac disease can lead to anemia, malabsorption, and other serious symptoms. These might have contributed to Andrew’s condition, and then the hard exertion of carrying wood pushed his body over the edge.  

Managing Stress for Heart Health

A few months later, Andrew is doing much better. He no longer eats wheat or other gluten-containing foods, and he has made lifestyle changes to help manage stress. Some of the resources in Andrew’s toolkit include:

• Meditation and conscious breathing: Just four or five slow, mindful breaths can help relax tension in the mind and body. Andrew likes to think “in” on the inhale and “out” on the exhale to help focus his mind.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Alternately contracting and relaxing your muscles, focusing your attention on one region of the body at a time, can have a calming effect. Starting with his feet, Andrew engages his muscles on an inhalation, holds for a few seconds, and then relaxes with an exhalation.
• Boundaries: It can be hard to let go of work at the end of the day, but our mind and body need time to recharge. Something Andrew learned from a coworker is to keep an imaginary box in the corner of his office, and if something is nagging him at the end of the workday, he can put it in the box and know it’ll be there when he returns.
• Community: The health benefits of connecting with community are innumerable. Andrew is making an effort to get out and be around other people, even if they're strangers at a concert or restaurant.
• Therapy: Mental health counselors can provide support during major life changes such as illness and injury. Andrew’s therapist has helped him process stress and incorporate some of the techniques on this list into his daily life.
• Limiting the news: The news will always be a source of stress. However, one of the biggest impacts we can have on our health is to tend to our personal stress rather than worrying about what’s beyond our control. Explore healthy alternatives to doomscrolling.
• Doing what you love: Since Andrew’s celiac diagnosis, he’s been more dedicated to cooking at home, which he loves to do. If you’re looking for inspiration for the kitchen, try making a heart-healthy power bowl.

In honor of Heart Health Month, consider trying one thing from this list today. And, if you haven’t already, schedule your annual checkup and preventive screenings to help you stay healthy.