Key takeaways
- Chronic stress keeps your heart rate and blood pressure higher than usual and your nervous system on constant alert, which over time can affect cardiovascular health.
- Stress also drives unhealthy habits: 46% of people in the UK say they eat too much or unhealthily because of stress.
- Cardiovascular disease can develop over decades before showing itself as a heart attack or stroke, but it often leaves clues that can be found earlier.
The fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm is back on our screens, but beneath the usual humour and chaos there’s a more sombre tone at times.
Jeremy Clarkson, 66, who said he was just “days away” from a deadly heart attack when he was rushed to hospital in October 2024, is seen struggling to breathe as he hacks away at trees. After a procedure to insert a stent and restore blood flow to his heart, he was advised to slow down, reduce stress and recover. Yet, between running Diddly Squat Farm and The Farmer’s Dog pub, the series shows him still taking on physically demanding work and high-pressure decisions.
It raises the question: how much damage can stress do to your heart?
How does stress affect your heart?
Chronic, ongoing stress keeps your heart rate higher than usual, raises your blood pressure and holds your nervous system in a constant state of alert. Over time, that strain can affect your cardiovascular health.
“Your body experiences stress physically, especially if the stress is chronic and ongoing,” says Dr Adam Haque, Co-Founder & Medical Director at Tomorrow Wellness. “When you’re under chronic stress, your heart rate stays higher than usual, increasing your blood pressure and keeping your nervous system in a constant state of alert. Over time, this strain can start to impact cardiovascular health.”
In the UK, 74% of people have felt so stressed that they were overwhelmed or unable to cope, according to the Mental Health Foundation.
Can stress lead to unhealthy heart habits?
Yes. 46% of people in the UK say they eat too much or eat unhealthily because of stress. Nearly a third say stress has made them start or increase drinking, and 16% say it has made them start or increase smoking (Mental Health Foundation).
Can you spot heart disease before a heart attack?
Often, yes. Clarkson’s experience is a reminder that even the busiest, most successful people can have a heart scare.
“Cardiovascular disease can develop over decades before showing itself, often as a heart attack or stroke. Stress can also leave clues long before a heart attack occurs. At Tomorrow Wellness, our Health Check is designed to identify these clues and look inside your arteries. From this we can then put a plan in place to prevent its devastating impact,” says Dr Haque.
If you’re constantly under pressure, struggling to switch off or simply want to know more about your heart health, a comprehensive heart health assessment can show what’s happening beneath the surface. The Ultimate Health Check includes vascular imaging to look directly at your arteries.
Find out what stress is doing to your heart. Book your comprehensive Health Check
Photo: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash.
Frequently asked questions
Can stress cause a heart attack?
Chronic stress keeps your heart rate and blood pressure raised and can drive habits such as unhealthy eating, drinking and smoking, all of which strain your cardiovascular system over time. Heart disease often develops silently over decades before a heart attack.
How does stress raise blood pressure?
Stress keeps your nervous system in a state of alert, which keeps your heart rate higher than usual and raises your blood pressure. When stress is chronic, that strain continues day after day.
How can I check if stress has affected my heart?
A comprehensive cardiovascular health check can look for early signs of heart and circulatory disease, including imaging of your arteries, before symptoms appear.