Scientists Say Negative Emotions May Increase Stroke Risk by 30%

Emotional state and disease risk are linked! A global study into the causes of stroke found that anger and emotional upset can trigger strokes. In addition, heavy physical exertion is also one of the causes of stroke.

London, UK (Periodical News) – Do you often feel angry? If a person is often angry, then not only need to focus on emotional stability and need to pay attention to physical health. A study from the National University of Ireland Galway showed that anger, emotional upset, and short periods of heavy physical exertion increase the risk of stroke. The research was published in ScienceDaily.

Anger, upset, and heavy physical exertion

The study involved patients of different ethnic backgrounds in 32 countries and analyzed a total of 13,462 cases of acute stroke. The study found that one in 11 survivors experienced a period of anger or upset within an hour before the stroke. In 20 patients, one person has engaged in heavy physical activity. Researchers say that short-term heavy physical exertion is different from regular physical exercise; regular physical exercise can reduce the long-term risk of stroke.

“Stroke prevention is a priority for physicians, and despite advances, it remains difficult to predict when a stroke will occur. Many studies have focused on medium to long-term exposures, such as hypertension, obesity, or smoking. Our study aimed to look at acute exposures that may act as triggers.” Andrew Smyth, a professor of clinical epidemiology at NUI Galway in Ireland who co-led the study, said in a statement.

“Our research found that anger or emotional upset was linked to an approximately 30% increase in risk of stroke during one hour after an episode — with a greater increase if the patient did not have a history of depression.” Professor Andrew Smyth said. “We also found that heavy physical exertion was linked to an approximately 60% increase in risk is of intracerebral haemorrhage during the one hour after the episode of heavy exertion. There was a greater increase for women and less risk for those with a normal BMI. “

When is easy to get angry

We already know that anger can affect mental and physical health, so we can minimize the things that may trigger anger. In addition to controlling the pace of life, taking breaks in time, and relaxing on holidays, you can also learn to calmly discuss your feelings with other people instead of getting angry right away. On the other hand, adequate sleep and good eating habits are also very important.

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General in 2019 showed that sleep restriction could amplify anger. Researchers recruited 142 community residents, who were randomly assigned to maintain or restrict their sleep for two days, and rated their anger and emotions. The result of the experiment is that anger is usually exacerbated under the condition of restricting sleep. This finding emphasizes the important influence of lack of daily sleep on anger.

Lack of sleep tends to amplify anger, as does lack of food. A report published on BBC Future in 2018 showed that hunger leads to anger! The report explained a new word: hunger can lead to easy anger, so some people on social media created the word “hanger.” When blood sugar drops, the body’s cortisol and adrenaline will rise, making people more prone to anger.

From the above research, maintaining adequate sleep and not making yourself hungry is one of the ways to avoid being easily angered. In addition, a short period of heavy physical exertion may increase the risk of stroke! Regular physical exercise can help reduce the risk of stroke.