The Surprising Link Between Mental Health and Heart Disease

Your mind and heart are more connected than you might think. Read on to discover the surprising links between mental health and heart disease, and how to manage both.

The connection between mental health and heart disease is nothing new to health care professionals. Doctors have long known that behaviors associated with certain mental health disorders can increase the risk of heart disease, but that might not be the whole story. Research now shows that it's more than just behavior. Your mental health could actually affect your heart physically, not just through your habits.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is among the top causes of death in the United States, while mood disorders account for nearly 600,000 hospitalizations each year. When you have both heart and mental health conditions, they can make each other worse, putting you at a higher risk. If you suffer from mental health issues or heart disease, understanding this link can be the key to improving your quality of life.

Mental Health Habits and Your Heart

Health care professionals once thought the link between mental health and heart disease was purely behavioral. For example, someone dealing with depression might turn to unhealthy foods, alcohol, smoking, or a sedentary lifestyle to cope. These choices can raise risks for heart issues like high blood pressure and cholesterol. However, we now understand that these behaviors are just one part of how your mental state and heart health are connected.

The Physical Effects of Stress on the Heart

Mental health issues can have a biochemical impact on heart health. Stress, anxiety, and depression—whether temporary or as part of a chronic disorder—can increase the release of so-called "stress hormones" like adrenaline and cortisol.

Increased levels of these hormones, especially for a long period of time, can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. This makes chronic stress and mental health problems important risk factors for heart disease.

How Heart Disease Can Affect Mental Health

Just as mental health conditions can increase a person's risk of heart disease, heart disease can also cause or worsen mental health issues like depression or anxiety. The two conditions can feed off of one another, creating a dangerous cycle.

Experiencing a sudden heart condition like a heart attack or stroke can lead to a lot of physical and emotional stress. The same can be said for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease, which can significantly impact your daily routine. 

Beyond the physical, heart conditions can cause other worries. Expensive medical bills often lead to financial anxiety, while the strain of dealing with heart disease can be hard on family members and caregivers.

Steps for a Healthy Heart and Mind

A healthy lifestyle is essential to helping prevent or manage heart disease. But when you throw mental health issues into the mix, those healthy habits—such as eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, or quitting smoking—become even more important for both preventive care and disease management.

Since mental health and heart disease are closely connected, managing stress is a key part of leading a healthy life. If you tend to have strong physical or emotional responses to stress, learning effective stress management can greatly help to lower your heart disease risk. In fact, handling stress well can be just as important as other healthy habits for supporting heart health.

Because mental health issues and heart disease are so intertwined, getting either condition under control can positively impact the other.  Taking care of your mind and body helps your brain and heart work in sync, and your doctor can help you come up with a treatment plan to get one or both back on track.

Copyrighted material adapted with permission from Ignite Healthwise, LLC. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.