is it possible for stress to cause a heart attack or stroke, or do stressed people generally have poorer diet, be smokers, etc?

Question

Is it possible for stress to cause a heart attack or stroke, or do stressed people generally have poorer diet, be smokers, etc?

You often hear of people (usually men over 50) having a heart attack or stroke and it being attributed to stress. But can stress actually cause these things to happen, or do stressed people tend to have poor health in other ways eg smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy foods, not exercising, etc?

In: Biology

Answer 1

1) Yes

But 2) Also yes.

Stress on its own can cause a heart attack, but stress can also mess with appetite, sleep schedule, blood pressure, heart rate, increased tendency towards substance use.

On the other hand poor diet, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor health, substance abuse, etc can all also cause stress themselves.

Stress is often a vicious cycle because many symptoms of stress are also causes of stress.