Women with stressful jobs are twice as likely to have a heart attack.
Results from a study by Dr. Michelle Albert, which were presented at the American Heart Disease Association, revealed that women who have stressful and demanding jobs are two times more likely to suffer from a stroke or a heart attack in comparison to women with less stressful jobs.
Tight deadlines, stress and work demands or worries about losing you job in a tough economy, especially on top of running a home, released ‘fight or flight’ hormones in the women with stressful jobs which immediately raises blood pressure.
Other side effects from having a stressful job were heart problems, higher cholesterol, blocked arteries, strokes and were 43 per cent more likely to need bypass surgery in comparison to those in less stressful jobs.
A similar study related to stressfound that they can also age you by a decade. British newspaper, The Daily Mail, reported that scientists found that stress is “the over-riding factor when it comes to the rate at which we grow older.”
Our DNA and cells are protected by telomeres, but as our cells divide or are subjected to damage, the telomeres get shorter and this is how we age. Stress is what damages the telomeres the most and the shorted these telomeres are the more unprotected our DNA becomes.
It was found that middle-aged women are the ones most affected by this who are juggling jobs, elderly parents and children in their teenage years.
To reduce the damages of stress:
Don’t diet – its stressful and demanding on us physically and psychologically
Meditate - deep breathing, controlling your thoughts and clearing your mind reduces stress.
Exercise – it disperses stress hormones from the blood.
Have a positive outlook – research found pessimists have shorter telomeres.
Eat right – omega-3 encourage telomeres to grow and pistachios protect DNA
Sleep – the body repairs itself when we sleep.
(Source: The daily Mail)msn.com
