Stress, Cardiac Risk and How to Manage: Practical, Technology-Minded Tips for Those at All Levels of Risk

Stuart Long

Credit: InfoBionic.Ai

Stress is a fact of modern life. From juggling urgent work deadlines to managing demanding personal responsibilities and coping with information overload, the pressures of modern life can quietly take a toll on our physical health—especially our hearts.

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, stress isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a formidable threat that can significantly exacerbate cardiovascular conditions and lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening complications. One study showed people who reported high stress were 2.5 times more likely to have a heart attack than those with low stress.

The widespread nature of stress is paralleled by the widespread nature of cardiac disease—which affects more than 121.5 million U.S. adults. By actively managing the critical and complex relationship between stress and cardiac health, patients of all risk levels can work towards better cardiac outcomes.

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 its cardiac impact varies based on level of risk. Let’s explore some key actions patients can take to manage stress and protect their heart health during stressful periods—no matter their level of risk.

Low-Risk Individuals

People are considered low risk if they do not have significant predisposing factors for cardiac disease. For these patients, managing stress effectively is still important for wellness. To mitigate the potential cardiac impact of stress, low-risk individuals can:

• Manage Daily Stress: Practice mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. You can also do yoga and stretching exercises.
• Take Regular Breaks: Schedule short, frequent breaks throughout the day, particularly during work or other mentally demanding activities.
• Monitor with Wearables: Use consumer devices, such as smartwatches or fitness trackers, to monitor your heart rate and sleep patterns and alert your doctor if you notice any outliers.

Moderate-Risk Individuals

Those at moderate risk may have certain risk factors for cardiac disease, making stress management and monitoring more critical. To manage the cardiac impact of stress, individuals with moderate risk can:

• Regularly Review Data: Carefully review wearable device data to understand fluctuations in heart rate or blood pressure. Alert your clinician about areas of concern.
• Integrate Stress-Reduction Techniques: Incorporate relaxation techniques like deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga or walking breaks into daily routines.
• Make Lifestyle and Diet Modifications: Adopt a heart-healthy diet by reducing salt, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol while increasing fiber and nutrient-dense foods.

High-Risk Individuals

Patients fall into the high-risk category if they have been diagnosed with cardiac conditions, such as arrhythmias, high blood pressure or congenital abnormalities. They can take the following actions in partnership with their providers:

• Form a Care Plan: Work with your healthcare provider to create a personalized stress management and heart health plan, with regular check-ins to ensure effectiveness.
• Adjust Medication as Needed: Stress can exacerbate certain cardiovascular conditions, so your doctor may recommend adjusting medications—such as beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors—during times of increased stress.
• Explore High-Acuity Monitoring: Discuss the possibility of using an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cardiac monitoring solution with your provider. These solutions enable your clinician to rapidly identify issues before they escalate into a major event.

All these recommendations are proven, and practical ways to mitigate the cardiac impact of stress, but one of them has the power to fundamentally transform cardiac care and, by extension, patient outcomes. Let’s take a closer look at AI-enabled remote patient monitoring (RPM), a breakthrough that is paving the way to proactive, data-driven interventions for high-risk patients experiencing cardiac impacts that are related to stress.

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

Traditional cardiac monitoring relies on periodic checkups and self-reported symptoms, an approach that risks missing the early warning signs of disease. Older monitoring devices further limit data collection, offering only episodic data and limited event detection. We know, based on research, that tremendous value is held in non-event data, particularly before a condition has surpassed a certain level of severity.

By contrast, AI-enabled RPM offers continuous, near-real-time tracking through streamlined devices that maintain connectivity no matter where a patient goes. These systems provide clinicians with a lens into heart health without the need for an additional office visit.

For individuals managing cardiac conditions, particularly during periods of heightened stress, AI-driven RPM can detect subtle data patterns that may indicate early and sub-symptomatic issues, enabling rapid interventions. These systems look outside the event and consider all a patient’s data to understand the nuanced relationship between stress, cardiac conditions, and long-term patient outcomes.

Embracing More Proactive Heart Health for a Healthy Future

While stress is inevitable, its impact on heart health doesn’t have to be. Through smart daily habits, greater attentiveness, and AI-enabled cardiac telemetry, patients and providers can work together to detect early warning signs and prevent complications before they become serious. AI-enabled cardiac telemetry, in particular, raises the bar for cardiovascular oversight and supports a universal shift from reactive interventions to proactive ones.

Stuart Long has been the CEO of InfoBionic.Ai since March 2017. He underscores the company’s commitment to widespread market adoption of its transformative wireless remote patient monitoring platform for chronic disease management. With more than 25 years of experience in the medical device market, Stuart brings expertise in achieving rapid commercial growth. Learn more about remote cardiac monitoring at Infobionic.AI.