Stress and high blood pressure...

According to lifeclinic.com, blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats if pumps blood into our arteries. Having high blood pressure is when it reaches 140/90.

When your blood pressure reaches this level it puts you at risk for a heart attack or heart disease. A way to keep blood pressure low is to relax.


Interesting Facts:

1. Systolic Pressure is when your heart beats and your blood pressure is at its highest.
2. Disasolic Pressure is when the heart is between beats making it more at rest causing blood pressure to fall.
3. When the cause of what caused blood pressure to go up is unknown it is called, "essential or primary high blood pressure."
4. When the cause of what caused blood pressure to go up is known it is called, "secondary high blood pressure."

When we suffer from stressful situations, it can cause a temporary spike in our blood pressure. According to mayoclinic.com, "doing activities to reduce your blood pressure, such as exercising 30 to 60 minutes a day, can also reduce your stress level. And if you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure, doing activities that can help you manage your stress and improve your health can make a long-term difference in lowering your blood pressure."

It is said that there is no real proof of stress by itself causes the long term effects of high blood pressure, but stress puts hormones in overdrive and is responsible for causing behaviors that do cause a spike in our blood pressure, such as drinking alcohol or getting no sleep.

Stress on the heart

Our heart is the most important part of our bodies. Without them we obviously cannot survive. It is best to take care of our hearts in whatever way we can. One way is to reduce stress because it helps decrease our risk or developing heart disease.

What is heart disease? Visit this slide show.

The American Heart Association says CHD is caused by the narrowing of the coronary arteries because of fatty build ups of plaque. With this it is likely to develop chest pains or even a heart attack.

Did you know? According to CDC.gov, heart disease claims more than 7 million lives each year.


According to medicinenet.com, although medical researchers do not have a positive answer to how stress increases the risk of heart disease, it is known that stressing out can cause our blood pressure to go up and could cause our cholesterol to become high which can both make out heart suffer.

Medicinenet continues to say, "If stress itself is a risk factor for heart disease, it could be because chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Studies also link stress to changes in the way blood clots, which increases the risk of heart attack."

It was found in a study done by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, that signs of heart disease are attributed to stress more frequently in women than men. "Dr. Chiaramonte stated, "For women, the presence of stress or anxiety drives the interpretation of accompanying symptoms so that symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath undergo a 'meaning shift' when presented in the context of stress or anxiety and they are perceived as a manifestation of the stress or anxiety and not as CHD symptoms. For men, cardiac symptoms drive the interpretation of accompanying symptoms so that anxiety or stress is perceived (rightly so) as a risk factor for CHD and may in fact augment the CHD assessment. The presence of anxiety or stress in men does not deter from the CHD assessment; for women, it appears to preclude a CHD assessment," sciencedaily.com said.

More about the study visit: CHD Study

The Swedish Massage

The Swedish massage is the most basic and most popular type of massage. According to Anna Lynn Sibal who writes for massageden.com, the Swedish massage was developed by Henrik Ling in Sweden in the 1700's. "Swedish massage is particularly to allow the body to absorb more oxygen, thereby rejuvenating the body. Swedish massage is also geared towards detoxification by increasing the speed by which the cells of the body eliminate their waste materials.
But more than these, Swedish massage brings to the receiver an immense feeling of satisfaction and relaxation," Sibal said.

When giving a Swedish massage there are six techniques that are used. Visit the link to learn more: Swedish Massage Techniques

Here is a lesson on how to do a Swedish massage for the back:

Stress from school

Many things in our everyday life can cause stress. For those that are students, school is most likely one of those stresses. Heliohealth.com says,

" When it comes to dealing with school stress, the most important thing to remember is to keep it real! Learn what stress is, what it isn't, and what it can do if you choose to let it rule your life."

Some tips that their website offers to keep stress away from school are:

1. Maintain Perspective- keep in mind that it is only a homework assignment and it is not the end of the world. Take control.
2. Be Organized: Be sure you have what supplies you need. Label and separate things by class.
3. Prioritize- Notice when things are do and do your work according to what is due first or work on those projects first that take a long time.
4. Maintain Focus- don't let TV or radio distract you from doing your assignments and limit distractions.
5. Learn to say "NO"- don't take on extra obligations don't be afraid to say no if someone like friends ask you to do things when you should be doing your homework for example.
6. Get Extensions- Sometimes it is OK to ask your teacher/professor for an extension on a paper or project if it is really needed.
7. Take Breaks- After around 45 minutes to an hour of doing your assignments take a 5 to 10 minute break. It helps refresh your mind.
8. Use Teamwork- Sometimes its good to work in a group than alone. It gives you more opportunity to gain more knowledge by listening to others.

WebMD Health News reporter Jennifer Warner wrote about a study that was done to see if stresses at home can affect a teenagers' performance at school. "Researchers found the negative effects of stress at home linger and affect teenagers' academic performance at school for up to two days. Meanwhile, stress over grades and other demands at school may also spill over into the home life of teens," Warner said.

For more information on the study that was done visit: Teen Stress At Home Lingers In School

Senator McCain Relaxing At His Sedona, Arizona Home

Senator McCain's way of relaxing is when is spends time at his home in Sedona, Arizona.

According to Gateway To Sedona.com, the McCain's have owned their home for over 25 years. At the home they treat guests and family to barbecue ribs and chicken which McCain would make himself.
His home in Sedona is where he, "enjoyed countless weekends, family gatherings and relaxing get-aways from their busy life in Washington D. C. and Phoenix," Gateway To Sedona.com said.

According to Dana Bash, Tasha Diakides and Evan Glass who are all CNN reporters, "McCain revealed that barbecuing for guests is one of the few ways he relaxes, especially during the grueling campaign, and was eager to share his carefully honed recipe on the gas grill: baby back ribs (bought at Costco), cooked bones down with a dry rub that's a third garlic powder, a third salt and a third pepper. The trick to not letting it dry out? Keep putting lemon juice on, the senator said."

Other than treating his guests to food, McCain would humbly give guests wildlife information of all the animals that would roam around his property. Such as the 67 different types of birds, and the occasional cougars and coyotes.

There are many more pictures on McCain's daughter's blog that show him at his home in Sedona. To visit click the following link: McCain Blogette

New President Obama Takes Time To Relax

Throughout his campaign, Obama has been busy running around trying to get whatever vote he can. Even with his hectic schedule, he showed the public that he can still take time to himself and to relax.

Some of the many things that he has done is hung out at the beach and go bike riding. According to Wcco.com, in March he took some down time during his campaign to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands where he was spotted on the beach by local tourists. This past August he took a trip with his two daughters ten-year-old Mailia, and seven-year-old Sasha and wife Michelle to Hawaii to visit his ill grandmother who he also called "tutu". While on his trip to Hawaii it was a time for him to relax and spend time with family. He also took time to visit the beach on his trip.

The day after Obama was elected president on November 5th, according to the Associated Press, he took the morning to relax and enjoy a nice
breakfast with his daughters. After his breakfast, "Obama left the house alone, clad in workout clothes, a ball cap and sunglasses, and spent an hour at a friend’s apartment building, where he uses the gym," The Associated Press said.