Stress has a big impact on how our body's nervous system works, and this can affect our heart and blood pressure.

1. Feeling Stressed:

   • When we feel stress, our body activates what’s called the sympathetic nervous system. This is often seen as the "fight or flight" response. Stress makes our body release substances like adrenaline, which can make our heart beat faster and raise our blood pressure.

2. Calming Down Loss:

   • At the same time, stress makes the other part of the nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, work less. This part usually helps us relax and slows down our heart rate. When it's less active, our heart rate stays higher and we have less variation in how fast or slow our heart beats. This can mean our body isn’t as good at dealing with stress.

3. Long-Term Effects:

   • If stress continues for a long time, the sympathetic nervous system stays active for too long. This can lead to ongoing high blood pressure and raise the chances of developing heart problems.

4. Getting Back to Normal:

   • After we go through a stressful time, it can take a while for our body to calm down again and return to normal. If stress doesn’t go away, our body stays on high alert, which can cause issues for our heart.

By understanding how stress affects our body, we can see why it’s important to manage stress through things like meditation or exercise. This can be really helpful for keeping our heart healthy.