In the latest research showing just how important the handling of stress is, a new study shows that having a stress-prone personality could seriously up your risk for heart disease.


The new research, conducted in a large Danish population, found that people who are "mentally vulnerable" -- meaning they are more susceptible to stress -- are at a significantly higher risk for both fatal and non-fatal heart events. The study's findings were presented on April 18 in Rome at the EuroPRevent 2013 congress.


Researchers measured "mental vulnerability" on a 12-point scale, looking at mental and physical symptoms that measured an individual's level of stress, and determined whether they had a personality that was more prone to getting stressed-out. A statistical analysis of nearly 11,000 individuals showed that mental vulnerability was correlated with cardiovascular events, both fatal and non-fatal, independently of normal risk factors like smoking, cholesterol and age.


The researchers followed the Danish cohort, which consisted of 10,943 individuals initially free of heart disease, for nearly 16 years. Just over 3,000 fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events were recorded during the follow-up analysis, and the data showed that the risk of cardiovascular events in the mentally vulnerable was 36 percent higher than in the non-vulnerable, independently of other risk factors.


“So mental vulnerability might describe a ‘new dimension’ when compared to the five classical risk factors, but to take this forward we need to identify sub-groups of the population where mental vulnerability does improve risk prediction beyond the classic risk factors,” one of the study authors, Dr. Anders Borglykke, of the Research Centre for Prevention and Health
 at Glostrup University Hospital, said in a statement..


Although previous studies have linked personality traits with cardiovascular disease and mortality, their role in predicting risk wasn't clear. For instance, a 2006 Duke University study found that regular anxiety, depression and hostility increase a person's risk of developing coronary heart disease, and that the combination of these negative emotions could significantly increase that risk. Research has also found that those with Type A personalities -- characterized by being competitive, impatient, ambitious and uptight -- are at a higher risk for heart disease, although one study found this to be untrue.


But personality type isn't the only stress-related risk factor for cardiovascular events. A 2012 review of studies also showed that excessive work stress could increase the risk of heart attack: Those with demanding jobs were found to have a 23 percent higher risk of suffering from heart attack.


In the press release, Borglykke suggested that eliminating or managing triggers to chronic stress could play an important role in reducing the risk of heart disease.


More than one in five Americans reports living with consistent extreme stress, according to a 2012 American Psychological Association survey. Chronic stress has also been linked with an increased risk of diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's Disease, among other negative health outcomes.


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  • Stress Is A Motivator


    We often view a little stress as a good thing. After all, it's said that pre-exam jitters push us to study harder, and moderate work stress instills a desire to succeed. But is stress really what's motivating us in these situations? Andrew Bernstein, author of "The Myth of Stress," <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-myth-stress/201007/isnt-stress-motivator" target="_blank">explains to Psychology Today</a> that stimulation and engagement (i.e. setting goals or tackling new projects) is <em>actually</em> what motivates us, not stress. He says stress is simply the swirl of negative emotions on top of stimulation and engagement. "If you're successful and stressed out, you're succeeding in spite of your stress, not because of it," he told the publication.




  • A Few Drinks Can Help You De-Stress


    You may want to think twice before pouring yourself a second or third glass of wine after a stressful day. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2266962/" target="_blank">According to a 2008 study</a> published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, alcohol actually stimulates the release of the stress hormone cortisol. And what's more, alcohol and stress have been found to "feed" each other -- we turn to alcohol for relief from stress, and stress, in turn, dampens the intoxicating effects of alcohol, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01522.x/abstract;jsessionid=4F9F3DE6B7E1E60EF614B2E97914DD0D.d04t02" target="_blank">according to University of Chicago research</a>.




  • If You Have No Symptoms, Stress Isn't Affecting You


    Stress can manifest in some unpleasant ways, including insomnia and weight gain, but just because you're not experiencing these effects doesn't mean stress isn't affecting you. In fact, chronic stress is linked with the development of a number of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/stress-health-effects-cancer-immune-system_n_2599551.html" target="_blank">negative health outcomes</a>, including heart disease and cancer. Non-symptomatic people who live high-stress lifestyles can suffer from sudden strokes or heart attacks, for which stress is a contributor, says Kathleen Hall, Ph.D., a stress expert and founder of the <a href="http://www.mindfullivingnetwork.com/" target="_blank">Mindfulness Living Network</a>. Stress can also lead to high cholesterol or diabetes, even though the symptoms are silent, she explains. "Those are the silent killers -- we think we have our stress handled, but we don't," Hall says. "If you're chronically stressed, just because you don't have any symptoms doesn't mean it's not frying your brain or causing other diseases."




  • Stress Will Give You An Ulcer


    Contrary to popular belief, the majority of ulcers are caused not by stress, but <a href="http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Oz-Explains-How-You-Get-Stomach-Ulcers" target="_blank">by the common stomach bacteria <em>H. Pylori </em></a>, which triggers inflammation in the abdominal area and intestines. Although stress can <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/body-stress-response_n_2902073.html" target="_blank">increase your levels of stomach acid</a>, thereby contributing to digestive distress, it's not the main cause.




  • Stress Is Unavoidable


    Despite what many believe, feeling stressed<em> isn't</em> inevitable. While we don't have the power to prevent stressful situations from occurring, we can control our reactions to them. The practice of mindfulness -- cultivating focused awareness on the present moment -- has been shown to lessen stress reactions and <a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/29/mindfulness-linked-to-lower-stress-hormones/53159.html" target="_blank">decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol</a>. "Become aware of what your triggers are," Hall advises. "Being aware lets you become more stress-resilient because you can prepare" to deal with stressors.




  • Negative Events Cause Stress


    Negative events can lead to stressful thoughts -- but so can <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/23/10-happy-life-events-that_n_2761433.html?utm_hp_ref=less-stress-more-living" target="_blank">happy events</a>. It's not the event or thought itself, but rather your emotional response to it that causes you stress. Anything that disrupts your routine and triggers strong emotions, negative or positive, can lead to stress, Hall says.




  • Stress Symptoms Are The Same For Everyone


    Just as there are countless factors that can contribute to stress, tension can manifest itself in a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms. Everyone experiences stress differently -- you may find that you have poor digestion during periods of high stress, while others may not feel any physical symptoms, but will suffer from a lack of focus and mild depression. There are<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/body-stress-response_n_2902073.html" target="_blank"> so many things going on in your body</a> when you get stressed -- and learning to recognize your body's stress responses and manage your stress accordingly is the best way to combat any symptoms.




  • Stress Is An Attribute Of Successful People


    Unfortunately, we live in a culture that associates stress with productivity. Therefore, we assume that successful people are stressed out -- and that if they weren't, they would be slacking. But this couldn't be further from the truth. "Stress shouldn't mean that you're worth more, or that you have a higher status because you work longer," says Hall. "[Overworking] really means that something's wrong -- not that something is right."




  • Stress And Anxiety Are The Same Thing


    Stress -- both acute and chronic -- is very different from anxiety disorders, which, unlike stress, are diagnosable mental disorders. Still, the exact differences aren't always clear. Stress comes from an event or thought that makes you feel upset or nervous, while anxiety is more characterized by <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/stress-and-anxiety/overview.html" target="_blank">fear and unease</a> (sometimes without a known cause). "Anxiety is chronic and over time it can get worse, whereas with stress, I can have worry but I can learn to become more resilient -- I may worry for five minutes or a day," Hall says. Stress may naturally dissipate or lessen over time, but an anxiety disorder won't go away on its own.