Job Stress Can Double Heart Disease Risk for Men

Dr. Bradley Serwer, interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, says he’d have to speculate, but reasons that the combination of baseline psychosocial stress on top of being in a situation where one feels they are not in control, acts as a double hit.

“The physical effects of stress are well documented, and I suspect that the sense of lacking or losing control, in an already stressful situation, exacerbates the physical response to stress,” he explains.

Dr. Oliver Guttmann, consultant cardiologist, at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, believes the lack of gratification in a low-reward job also plays a role as you aren’t experiencing the release of positive substances that are good for both physical and psychological well-being.

He says stress can affect the cardiovascular system in many ways.

One potential mechanism, he noted, is a person’s plaque rate, which can be increased by stress and accumulate in the arteries. Platelets can then become sticky, increasing the risk of clots, which can block arteries in the blood vessels around your heart.

He added that arteries can also constrict due to stress, restricting the amount of blood that can reach the heart, triggering chest pain and a heart attack.

When we’re very stressed, we can also experience a fight-or-flight response. Guttmann says this increases the release of potentially harmful hormones into the bloodstream. One such hormone is epinephrin.

“Epinephrin prepares the body to deal with a stressful situation,” Guttmann explains. “It causes the heart rate and blood pressure to rise. Blood flow to the muscles is increased and your energy supplies are boosted.”

This can be helpful in the short term if we’re facing a challenge, but over the long term, Guttmann says this response can increase your blood pressure and the strain on your heart, resulting in an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Additionally, stress can have a knock-on effect on other heart health risk factors, according to Serwer. He notes that stress can contribute to overeating and a decrease in sleep quality, both of which are bad for the heart and may make it more difficult to manage stress.

You might be wondering why job stress seems to be more harmful to men’s cardiovascular health than women’s, as the study seems to indicate. The answer isn’t entirely clear cut and Guttmann says it’s difficult to generalize when it comes to heart health and gender.

“Some people have suggested that women deal differently with stress, especially work-related stress, and maybe have more coping mechanisms by engaging in social activities, like talking to their friends, for example,” he says.

From a physical point of view, Guttmann says hormones give women some protection from coronary heart disease pre-menopause. However, their risk rises as they get older.

Of course, the results on women’s heart health were inconclusive, so it’s difficult to make assumptions. The study authors say this warrants further investigation.

No matter your gender, one thing is clear: work stress isn’t just unpleasant; it’s detrimental to your heart. So, aside from quitting your job, what can you do to better manage it?

“While we may not be able to control the external stressors that we face while at work, we can control how we react and respond to these stressors,” Serwer points out.

He strongly recommends mindfulness and taking a pause at key moments throughout the day. “Taking a few moments to focus on deep breathing, relaxation, and training our bodies to have less of a fight or flight response may counteract some of the negative physical effects of stress,” he explains.

Guttmann says you shouldn’t forget that employers have a part to play too and have a responsibility to create a supportive work environment.

“It’s important that employees can voice their concerns and communicate with their employers, this could mean employees feel they have more control over their work,” he notes.

It may be what you do outside of work that has the biggest positive impact on your heart health. Guttmann believes striking a work/life balance is key and recommends having hobbies, getting regular exercise, and getting good quality sleep.

A miserable, stressful job doesn’t just put your mental health at risk. This study makes it clear that when you’re facing unrealistic demands and aren’t being rewarded for your efforts it can have a serious knock-on effect on your heart as well.

Jobs take up a significant proportion of most people’s lives. Quitting isn’t always an option, so managing the stress that comes with our work is essential to leading a heart-healthy lifestyle.