Guest Post Courtesy of the Xtend-Life Blog
Are you the type of person who gets easily angered, or seethes at the smallest annoyances? Well, epidemiological studies have suggested high levels of anger may increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). It has become apparent that people who are prone to aggression or depression may be at higher risk for future heart attack or stroke. Studies, such as one of over 5,000 Italians in Sardinia found that those who scored high for antagonistic traits like competitiveness and aggression on a standard personality test had more thickening of their neck arteries compared with those who were more agreeable. People who have aggressively competitive traits release more Adrenaline. This is good initially as it sparks the ‘fight or flight’ response…a necessary tool of human survival. However, in people with aggressive traits this release goes into overdrive, and/or continues for much longer periods of time than the usual stress responses. This ‘over-exertion’ of adrenaline, combined with the stresses on the cardio and surrounding systems, continued for long periods of time, can result in the development of many risk factors for cardiovascular disease. On the flip side, calm, more agreeable people tend to only produce these ‘stress factors’ when their body really needs them, and only for that short period of time
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Aggression, Depression and Heart Disease
