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Stress can lead to a wide range of physical symptoms in the body.

“Because our body releases hormones and activates our nervous system, we can experience symptoms like chest pain, body pains or palpitations, which is when our heart beats fast or skips a beat,” said Franciscan Physician Network cardiac nurse practitioner Meera Mohan. “We can also experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue and tiredness. We can have difficulty sleeping. So there’s a range of symptoms that stress can cause.”

Too much stress can interfere with sleep and lead to unhealthy habits like smoking, overeating or skipping medications. All of these factors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

And stress doesn’t just affect the heart directly.

“It can also affect our immune system,” Mohan said. “This causes a state of inflammation that can lead to more cholesterol deposited in our arteries. So when all these downstream effects occur, it increases our risk for cardiovascular disease.”