Stressful scenarios trigger the body’s “fightor-flight” response—causing the heart to race, blood pressure to spike, and stress hormones to flood the system.
Stress responses have a biological purpose but can also produce unintended consequences when triggered chronically. Research shows stress’s negative long-term effects1 on health—including the cardiovascular system. Those experiencing stress have a higher risk2 of suffering a cardiac event.
This article discusses stress’s physiological effects and how AI-powered remote cardiac monitoring can help manage cardiac health amid stress.
Stress’s Physiology and Impact on Heart Health
Stress triggers the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which accelerate heart rate and constrict blood vessels leading to increased cardiac risk over time. A doubling of cortisol levels is linked to a 90% higher risk3 of cardiovascular events. Persistent epinephrine surges can damage blood vessels and arteries,4 increasing blood pressure and raising risk of heart attacks or strokes.
For patients with a diagnosed cardiac condition, stress can exacerbate conditions and lead to cardiac events. Patients must work with providers to proactively understand and manage stress. AI-enabled remote cardiac monitoring has emerged as a powerful tool to help.
AI-Enabled RPM’s Role in Managing Stressors
AI increases the depth and scalability of insight. When applied to cardiac telemetry, AI-enabled analysis allows providers to expand views and oversight beyond isolated event data and unearth personalized insights. AI-enabled analysis works with remote monitoring devices, which record the heart with clinical-grade acuity. These devices can analyze nuanced patterns and potentially aid clinicians in identifying stress-induced anomalies, offering near real-time insight into how stress might affect the cardiovascular system.
Let’s explore some high-stress scenarios where providers can harness AI-enabled remote patient monitoring (RPM) to help manage cardiac health of high-risk patients.
• Busy Workplaces
High-pressure work environments can increase the risk of AFib and heart attacks. Work stress is linked to a 10-40% higher risk5 of coronary heart disease and stroke. For patients with arrhythmias, physician-prescribed AI-enabled remote cardiac monitoring can detect subtle heart rate changes, helping clinicians identify prolonged stress or early signs of AFib, especially when correlated to patient- provided clinical symptoms.
• Newborn Phase
A new baby can cause elevated stress and disrupted sleep, increasing hypertension risk. Sleeping less than seven hours per night is associated with a 7% increased risk of developing high blood pressure.6 AI-enabled RPM can monitor patterns like blood pressure spikes, alerting providers so they can intervene. This approach may benefit patients with diagnosed cardiac conditions experiencing sleepless nights.
• Finances
Financial stress may contribute to cardiovascular conditions. Research indicates chronic financial stress is associated with an increased risk of heart disease—those facing financial strain are 13x more likely to experience a heart attack.7 Prolonged financial stress can lead to poorer heart rate variability,8 a marker of heart health. AI-enabled RPM offers high-acuity cardiac oversight no matter the situation.
Mitigating Stress, No Matter the Source
Stress is universal and so is the importance of cardiovascular health. For high-risk patients experiencing lifestyle stressors, AI-powered remote cardiac monitoring replaces opacity with transparency, enabling a more robust understanding of the stress and heart connection and providing the opportunity for proactive interventions and improved cardiac outcomes.
