Boasting a humongous 1.5 million followers on Instagram, Dr Jeremy London has said in a post that "the right kind of stress can actually protect your heart."
The Board-certified cardiovascular surgeon clarified that stress is not the enemy. "The kind of stress we choose, not the one that happens to us; for example, aerobic exercise, every time you run, cycle, swim or briskly walk, you are putting your cardiovascular system under controlled stress. In response, your heart becomes stronger, your vessels more flexible and your autonomic balance shifts towards recovery and resilience," he said in the Instagram video.
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'We need more good stress'
The surgeon exclaimed that we all need more "good stress in our lives".
Explaining the nuances of stress further, he said that chronic and mental stress can cause harm to the heart's health. "It activates your sympathetic nervous system and floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol," he said.
This build up of adrenaline and cortisol over time, the "constant fight or flight state leads to a spike in blood pressure, stiffens arteries, promotes inflammation and also creates high chances of arrhythmias, plaque build up and even heart attacks", he went on to explain.
The surgeon said that even for people with no traditional risk factors, such stress can pose these immense risks.
Training your body
Dr Jeremy stressed on the need for exercise which "trains the body to handle emotional stress better".
Not only does it help in improving the heart rate variability but also lowers inflammatory tone and helps one recover faster after "life's inevitable hits".
While concluding, the doctor advises everyone to "train the heart because resilience is built with effort" whle reiterating the fact that stress can hurt one's heart but the right kind can make it stronger.
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Comments pour in
Reacting to the eye-opener on stress, people thanked the doctor for "such valuable information".
"OmG!! Thanks for this, Doc @drjeremylondon could we say that an aching heart like sore post workout is normal? I mean when you hit out of your comfort zone?" said one while another wrote, "Great advice and I hope inspires others to, who think: start tomorrow. Thank you doctor taking care of our hearts."
Another user said, "Now THIS is a good use of social media. Something that actually HELPS people."
