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Managing stress can help lower heart attack risk
New research says a stress management programme could help heart patients avoid further cardiac incidents.
Scientists studied the health of people who had just been diagnosed with heart disease. They found that patients who took part in a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course had a 41% lower risk of having a fatal or non-fatal cardiac incident. CBT teaches people different ways to think about themselves and the world around them.
Cathy Ross, Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said:
“We have known for some time that stress can play a part in increasing the risk of getting coronary heart disease although how and why this happens is not clearly understood.
“This study shows that for people who already have heart disease, acknowledging and learning to deal with the stressors in their life through cognitive behavioural therapy courses can reduce their risk of a further event.
“CBT is one way of learning coping strategies but there are many other ways. We should all try to recognise the triggers in our lives that can lead to unhealthy ways of coping with stress and an increased risk of having a heart attack.
