Stress And High Blood Pressure

Stress can make blood pressure go up for a while, and it has been thought to contribute to high blood pressure. But the long-term effects of stress are as yet unclear. Stress management techniques do not seem to prevent high blood pressure. However, such techniques may have other benefits, such as making you feel better or helping you to control over-eating thus helping in decreasing your blood pressure.
Remember Your blood pressure increases remarkably when you are under physical or emotional stress. If you constantly feel "stressed out," your body may maintain an abnormally high level of responsiveness, creating an artificially induced state of high blood pressure.
Exercise can also cause stress, but Unlike exercise, which provides your body with well-controlled physical stress for a limited amount of time, chronic stress does not benefit your circulatory system. Rather, it increases your risk of illness. However, stress is very much a part of modern life, and it can be hard to control the amount of stress in your life without changing your daily habits significantly.
what are the ways to control your stress? Many persons do follow these habits to relieve from stress—eating, drinking alcohol, and smoking—contribute to the development of high blood pressure. You may wish to use exercise to manage your stress. Failing that, you may need to seek counseling to help you change how you think about certain things that cause you to be stressed, or to learn relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation and transcendental meditation may help reduce mild high blood pressure.
How your heart is affected by stress? Stress has noticeable effects on the cardiovascular system. Who hasn't felt their heart beat faster because of stress or anxiety? Chronic stress can result in high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular system disorders.
Keep in mind that Stress is a leading cause of high blood pressure. Even a small stress response causes blood vessels to constrict. Research is unlocking a complex relationship between stress, high blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. Some studies has proved this fact that stress is deeply related with high blood pressure.
Recent studies have brought to light how stress and high blood pressure influence the chance of a stroke and transient ischemic attacks. A study in the June 2003 edition of Stroke draws a connection between the severity of stress-induced blood pressure changes and the risk of strokes. Danish study supports this finding: the study discovered that middle-aged men who reported high levels of stress were twice as likely to suffer a fatal stroke compared to men who reported low stress levels. As little as one incident of stress a week doubled the chance of a stroke.
Atherosclerosis occurs when fat, cholesterol, and plaque deposits build up and clog the cardiovascular system's blood vessels. Arteries become thick with this process. If atherosclerosis affects blood vessels leading to the heart, the disease is referred to as coronary artery disease. High blood pressure , cholesterol, smoking and diabetes are important risk factors for High blood pressure. Stress may also be a contributing factor. An Ohio State University study discovered that stress slows the body's metabolism of triglycerides, a type of fat linked to cardiovascular system disorders, including heart attacks. By slowing the metabolism of triglycerides, stress allows the fat to remain in the blood longer, a factor that may speed up atherosclerosis development.
Relaxation techniques can help minimize the effect stress has on the cardiovascular system. Research has noted that breathing exercises and meditation help control high blood pressure, and may even have a preventative effect. Development of atherosclerosis can also be delayed by relaxation techniques. Regular meditation, breathing exercises and other techniques can help to lower the level of oxidative chemicals in the blood, which in turn lowers the risk of atherosclerosis and thus maintaining your blood pressure with in normal limits.

Related Information of Interest:

3 Simple Steps For A Healthier Dog
We all want what is best for our pet. Yet sometimes because of your hectic schedules, we tend to put our dog’s care at the bottom of the list or it just becomes a habit of chores we perform every day without giving it much thought. We stumble out of bed in the morning, let the dog out, fill the water bowl, dump some food in the dish and go on with our daily routine. Let’s face it this can get very boring for you and especially for your dog.

In order to maintain your dog’s health there are really only three simple steps you need to follow:
1.A good diet
2.Plenty of fresh water
3.Exercise

A good diet is essential to your dog’s health. Be careful what you buy! Read the ingredients label not just the name of the dog food. An all natural dog food is what you should be looking for, not one that contains filler and by-products. Remember you get what you pay for. Although an all natural dog food may be more expensive, studies have shown that your dog will in almost all cases eat more of the “bargain brand” than the all natural, nutritious dog food. The “bargain brands” will pass through your dog more quickly because they do not contain as much of the daily nutrients your dog requires. This leads to your dog being hungrier more often and thereby eating more. Your dog will retain more of the nutrients contained in the all natural food which means they will be less hungry, have healthier coats, more energy and better overall health.

Give your dog plenty of fresh water. Change it as often as you can. A good rule to follow is that every time you get yourself something to drink, add new water to your dog’s bowl.

Exercise your dog daily. This is good for you also. Take long walks, throw a ball or stick around the backyard or park. Remember your dog’s cardiovascular system, heart and muscles need exercise just like yours.

About the Author

Jim De Fazio is the successful webmaster of www.natural-pet-supplies.com. A site that offers all natural food and supplies for your dog or cat.

More things I have learned
Growing old does have one benefit ... experience. So, I am continuing here to share my vast pool of knowledge. Of course my girlfriend can't resist telling me I need to clean the pool, but heres the list anyway.

1. If you do anything that gets your hands wet, soapy or dirty, your nose WILL itch.

2. When you give your email out anywhere on the internet, you will soon learn all you never wanted to know about body part enhancements.

3. A cat does not love you. It simply allows you to live with it IF you pet, feed and clean it's litter box on a regular basis. Otherwise, you're history.

4. Your Co-Workers, on the other hand, DO love you ... at least as long as you continue to give them good stuff to talk about when you aren't around.

5. You are NOT the master of your fate. Your mother is. And when you get married, your wife is.

6. Life is beautiful .. Life sucks ... life is beautiful ... life sucks. Repeat as necessary.

7. There is a chip in all cars that keeps them from starting unless you stroke the dashboard correctly and sincerely mean it when you say "Come on baby .. you can do it".

8. Computers will only work correctly when you DON'T need them to.

9. A kiss is just a kiss, and a smile is just a smile, but a baby is forever.

10. There is no such thing as a ghost that can haunt you ... except in your own mind.

11. Nothing is carved in stone ... other than what will happen if you forget your other half's birthday or anniversary.

12. No matter how hard you try, you will NEVER be able to fold laundry according to your spouse's instructions.

13. Anything you think will happen, won't... and anything you think won't happen, will.

14. Love is a two way street .. unless you are on the freeway and then there may be lots of exits before you get somewhere.

You can see more of Jan Michaels musings or various and sundry humorous items at: Articles Heaven Or, Free Heaven

Bird Photography
Birds have been one of the greatest subject for photographers for centuries now because they have an inspiring beauty and mystify us with their gift of flight and diversity. When it comes to photographing birds and their behavior, catching it on film will add a tremendous visual impact and feeling to any picture. There are different locations where birds gather, but really the best place you may what to start is your backyard. The thing about birds is that they are busy little bodies and a bird feeder in the backyard is a great place to get a picture when they are feeding or even the bird in the air getting ready to pounce one of the birds that is currently feeding.

When you venture out of your backyard to look for birds to photograph your vehicle may just become your newest piece of equipment. Birds see our cars less of a threat then a person carrying a long lens underneath their arm. A vehicle makes for a great blind and along with this patience is a virtue. When you find a location such as a prime feeding ground, park a bit of a ways from it and stop your engine to cut down on noise that may scare them.

Standard,wide-angle and short zoom lenses can be used for photographing birds, but for serious bird photography, a quality 500 mm or 600 mm telephoto lens is ideal.

Please keep in mind to avoid any situation that can put stress on the birds and their surroundings. If you notice a bird that is starting to show any kind of stress, this means that there is a nest or chicks near by. Any further picture taking should be disengaged and you should leave the immediate area. As a photographer of birds or any wildlife, it is a good thing to remember not to put ourselves or the birds around us in any kind of danger.

Albreht Moy has fine art reproductions on his site.

Delicious Christmas Cookies Recipes
Keep your kidsbusy during Christmas break baking cookies to give as Christmas gifts. Below are some common Christmas cookies that arenï¿½t too hard to make and are great for Christmas sharing.

Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are classics that will melt in your mouth. You can roll the dough out and use Christmas shaped cookie cutters or simple roll the cookies into balls and then roll the balls in a festive topping like crushed almonds or coconut. These cookies are easy and fun to make.

Youï¿½ll need the following:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 pound unsalted butter
pinch of salt

To make the cookies mix the ingredients well and then roll out to ï¿½ inch thickness and use cookie cutters. Or make small balls out of them and roll the balls in nuts or coconut. Place on a greased cookie sheet and then flatten lightly with the bottom of a glass

Bake at 300ï¿½ F. for around 20 to 25 minutes.

Secret Kiss Cookie

These fun cookies have a chocolate kiss treat inside!
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped (7 ounces)
powdered sugar

Cream the butter, vanilla, and sugar. Blend in the flour. Wrap a tablespoon of the dough around a chocolate candy kiss. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350ï¿½ for approximately 15 minutes until the dough has set but is not brown. Then while still warm, roll each cookie in powdered sugar.

The recipe above makes about 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Thumbprint Cookie

This is a colorful and fun cookie that kids love to make with a thumbprint.

2 1/2 cups flour ï¿½ add more if dough is too thin
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
Chopped nuts
Jam

Use an electric mixer and beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Then add sugar and flour, vanilla and almond extract, blending well. Chill the dough for 2 ï¿½ hours then form it into small balls and roll them in the nuts. Place the balls on a lightly greased cookie sheet then make an indentation with your thumb and fill it with jam. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until firm and light brown on bottom. Bake at 300ï¿½.

Marianne Jackson is a staff writer at Christmas Gazette and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Family Review.