Stress, Cardiac Risk, and How to Manage: Practical Tips for Individuals at All Levels of Risk

From juggling work deadlines to managing personal responsibilities and coping with information overload, the stresses of modern life can quietly take a toll on our health—especially our hearts. Research indicates that daily stress is not only widespread, but it is also rising. According to a Gallup poll, 49% of U.S. adults reported frequently feeling stressed in 2023, an increase from 33% in 2003.

For high-risk patients, the impact of stress isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a real threat, as stress can significantly exacerbate cardiovascular conditions, leading to serious and sometimes life-threatening complications. One study showed that people who reported high stress and other psychosocial factors were 2.5 times more likely to have a heart attack than those with low stress.

The widespread nature of stress is reflected in the prevalence of cardiac disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups, with one person dying every 33 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease. In 2022, 702,880 Americans died from heart disease—1 in every 5 deaths.

By more proactively managing the critical and complex relationship between stress and cardiac health, patients of all risk levels can work towards better cardiac outcomes. Read on for useful tips based on your level of risk, and learn about the transformative role AI-enabled remote cardiac monitoring plays in more proactively addressing the cardiac impact of stress, especially among high-risk patient populations.

Managing Stress and Cardiac Health Across the Spectrum of Risk

No one is beyond the physiological impact of stress. But the optimal approach to managing stress and its cardiac impact varies widely based on an individual’s level of risk. Someone living with a diagnosed arrhythmia, for example, should take extra precautions during times of heightened stress. For this patient, AI-enabled virtual cardiac telemetry may be utilized to provide continuous insight to their provider.

Conversely, for a lower-risk person who does not have a cardiac condition, virtual cardiac telemetry will likely not be leveraged. But that does not mean the low-risk patient can’t do anything—there are several steps they can take to manage their stress levels and cardiac health. Let’s take a closer look at what individuals at every risk level can do to protect their heart, particularly during periods of heightened stress.

• Low-Risk Individuals
  
  These individuals generally do not have significant risk factors for cardiac disease, but managing stress effectively is still vital to their overall well-being. If you are at low risk, try these tips to maintain healthy stress levels.
  • Manage Daily Stress: Practice mindfulness techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery, which can help you maintain emotional balance and prevent the body’s stress response from overwhelming the cardiovascular system. Apps or online videos can guide you through structured routines. Aim for at least 10 minutes a day of focused relaxation. Incorporating this into a daily routine can lower overall stress levels over time.
  • Take Regular Breaks: Schedule short, frequent breaks throughout the day, particularly during work or other mentally demanding activities. Use the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break) or simply stand up and stretch every hour. This prevents mental fatigue and reduces physical strain associated with prolonged sitting.
  • Engage in Mind-Body Practices: Incorporate low-intensity, restorative activities like yoga, tai chi, or stretching into your weekly routine. Regular movement helps regulate cortisol levels, improves circulation, and boosts overall heart health. A 20-minute session of yoga a few times per week can be particularly effective in managing stress and improving flexibility.
  • Monitor Vitals with Wearables: Use consumer devices, such as smartwatches or fitness trackers, to monitor your heart rate and sleep patterns. Many wearables now offer insights into how stress and sleep impact heart rate. Regularly check these trends and adjust your habits—like sleep hygiene or stress-reducing techniques—when fluctuations are displayed.
  • Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Prioritize a balanced diet, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep to keep baseline stress levels in check. A well-rounded routine that includes nutritious meals, 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, and 7-8 hours of sleep each night can help minimize the body’s physical stress responses.
• Moderate-Risk Individuals
  
  These individuals may have certain risk factors for cardiac disease (e.g., family history, hypertension, mild cholesterol issues), making stress management and diligent monitoring more critical. If you have moderate cardiac risk factors, these tips may help lower your stress levels and mitigate future heart-related issues.
  • Leverage Wearables Consistently: Use smartwatches, fitness trackers, or other consumer-grade devices to track heart rate, stress, and sleep on a daily basis. Regular use of wearables can provide valuable insights into fluctuations in heart rate or blood pressure during stress. Sync these devices with health apps to track long-term trends and better understand your body’s responses.
  • Act on Concerning Data: If you notice significant changes in your data—such as a consistently high heart rate during stressful moments or poor sleep scores—make sure to proactively alert your healthcare provider. Indicators of concern may include unexplained spikes in heart rate, persistently elevated blood pressure, or insufficient recovery during sleep.
  • Integrate Stress-Reduction Techniques: Incorporate quick relaxation techniques like deep breathing exercises, meditation, or walking breaks into your daily routine. Short sessions of deep breathing (e.g., the 4-7-8 method) or mindfulness exercises can effectively manage acute stress and reduce cardiovascular strain. Even a brief 10-minute walk during work can alleviate tension and reduce cortisol levels.
  • Focus on Diet and Lifestyle Modifications: Adopt a heart-healthy diet by reducing salt, processed foods, caffeine, and alcohol and increasing fiber and nutrient-dense foods. A diet low in sodium and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular health. Consider replacing caffeine with herbal teas or decaffeinated beverages to reduce stress on the heart.
  • Discuss Clinical-Grade Monitoring with Your Provider: If your data indicates areas of concern and it is recommended by your healthcare provider, it may make sense to transition from consumer wearables to clinical-grade monitoring, such as AI-enabled virtual cardiac telemetry. Devices that offer continuous, near real-time cardiac monitoring can help identify early signs of anomalies with a far greater level of acuity than consumer-grade devices. Work with your provider to set personalized alert thresholds for key metrics like heart rate variability or blood pressure fluctuations, ensuring that any concerning data triggers receive a prompt response.
• High-Risk Individuals
  
  For those at high risk for cardiac events (e.g., a history of heart disease, diabetes, or severe hypertension), comprehensive stress management and close provider involvement are essential. The key to managing your high risk is to work proactively with your provider and consider the following tips while you do so.
  • Collaborate with Healthcare Providers: An approach that is tightly integrated with your healthcare provider is best. Work closely with your provider to create a personalized stress management and heart health plan. Regular check-ins can ensure that your stress management practices align with your specific health needs. Your provider may suggest tailored relaxation techniques, medications, or lifestyle changes based on your health profile.
  • Monitor Stress and Cardiovascular Metrics Continuously: With your provider, utilize RPM or AI-enabled cardiac devices to continuously track your heart rate, blood pressure, and other key metrics, especially during stress episodes. Ensure that you use a reliable device that provides 24/7 monitoring, supported by AI-powered analysis for the most relevant and timely insights. Work with your provider to establish alert thresholds for key metrics that signal potential cardiac risk. This can help mitigate serious issues before they escalate.
  • Adjust Medication as Needed: Talk with your provider about making any necessary adjustments to your medications during periods of high stress or illness. Stress can exacerbate certain cardiovascular conditions, and your provider may recommend adjusting your medications—such as beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors—during times of increased stress to more effectively manage heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Preventive Care for Mental Health: Engage with mental health resources or counseling to manage the psychological impacts of chronic stress. High stress can significantly impact heart health, especially in high-risk individuals. Professional therapy, support groups, or even stress-reduction apps can provide relief. Maintaining a strong mental health support system is critical for minimizing cardiovascular strain.

From High-Stress to High-Acuity Insight with AI-Enabled RPM

At all levels of risk, monitoring plays a key role in illuminating the once-hidden relationship between stress and the heart. While consumer-grade monitoring has certainly improved in availability and accuracy, exciting advancements in remote patient monitoring and AI-enabled analysis go one step further. These breakthroughs make it possible for clinicians to monitor the heart with clinical-grade acuity from nearly anywhere, revolutionizing diagnosis, disease management, and outcomes for high-risk patients.

Historically, traditional cardiovascular monitoring relied on periodic checkups and self-reported symptoms, which often left critical gaps in patient care. Without continuous oversight, early stages of disease progression could go unnoticed, and interventions were typically only triggered by noticeable symptoms or an acute event. Additionally, older, wired devices were often restrictive, offering data only periodically, and frequently only responding after a cardiac episode had occurred.

AI-enabled RPM changes this dynamic. By enabling continuous, near real-time monitoring, AI-enabled RPM allows patients to stay connected with their provider without needing frequent in-person visits. Modern devices are wireless, unobtrusive, and easy to use, making them a practical tool for a variety of clinical use cases.

For individuals recovering from surgery, managing chronic heart conditions, or coping with heightened stress, AI-powered RPM can detect patterns in data that may not immediately manifest as symptoms, but could indicate emerging risks. By identifying subtle shifts in cardiac data and integrating with a variety of other peripherals, AI is able to flag potential issues long before they become critical. And unlike a human reviewer, AI is virtually unlimited in its capacity to review data, making it accessible for entire patient populations.

Compared to historical approaches, AI-enabled RPM offers a significant advantage: it empowers both patients and providers to address the intrinsic link between stress and cardiac health within the natural context of a patient’s daily life. With AI-enabled RPM, high-risk patients can receive timely, personalized interventions in response to their cardiac data, rather than waiting for their symptoms to become acute.

Embracing More Proactive Heart Health

While stress is an inevitable part of modern life, its impact on heart health doesn’t have to be. The key to managing this complex relationship lies in how we respond—both individually and as a healthcare community. Through smart, daily habits and innovative technologies like AI-enabled remote cardiac monitoring, we can take a more active approach to our heart health, detect the early warning signs, and prevent potential complications before they become serious threats.

As we look ahead, the integration of AI into cardiac care promises to transform the way we think about heart health, supporting healthier, less stressful lives for people at all levels of cardiac risk. The ability to monitor and respond to the physiological effects of stress is a game-changer, making it possible to maintain a clear view of the heart no matter what life throws your way.

InfoBionic.Ai is proud to lead the way to more effective remote cardiac care with our AI-enabled MoMe ARC® virtual cardiac telemetry solution. The MoMe ARC® pushes the boundaries in cardiac monitoring and accelerates the shift to truly personalized, more proactive care with a hospital-grade near real-time view of the heart. Contact us to learn more about how AI-enabled RPM can help you or your patients manage stress and improve heart health.