A RESEARCH suggests that negative emotions may have a hand in increasing stroke risk. A 2021 global INTERSTROKE study published in the European Heart Journal linked anger and other upsetting emotions, like sadness, depression or anxiety, to an approximately 30 percent increased risk of suffering a stroke one hour later. And this study isn’t the first to connect strong, negative emotions to stroke risk. A 2004 statement from the American Academy of Neurology describes a survey of 200 people who were hospitalized with an ischemic stroke (which happens when blood clots restrict blood flow to the brain) or a transient ischemic attack (essentially a mini stroke). Approximately 30 percent of those surveyed reported anger, fear, irritability, nervousness or a shock that caused them to suddenly change their body position in the two hours before their stroke. Another 2021 study published in Scientific African suggests a link between emotions like anger and fear and increased stroke risk factors like diabetes and hypertension. Although emotions and mental health were once thought completely separate from our physical health, there’s an increasing amount of evidence that the two are connected. “Emotions can cause physiological changes in our bodies,” says Matthew Socco, an expert in stroke at the Cleveland Clinic. “When a person is under stress, it causes their body to increase sympathetic nervous system activity,” he says. When our sympathetic nervous system gets activated, it affects blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, and many other physiological responses that have been linked to increased stroke risk. Some scientific evidence indicates that holding emotions in can lead to increased stroke risk and heart problems, particularly for women, Socco says. “Having a healthy outlet for difficult emotions can be a very effective tool for reducing the health risks associated with bottling it all up,” he says. (SD-Agencies) | 