The surprising link between stress and women’s heart attacks
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Stress affects women’s hearts differently than men's. Learn how stress increases heart attack risk in women and what you can do to protect your heart health.
If you’re a woman juggling work, relationships, and responsibilities, you’re no stranger to stress. Managing family expectations, dealing with financial pressures, and just existing in a world that expects you to do it all with a smile can make you feel like you’re about to split in two.
This immense stress affects women, and their hearts, but it’s sadly not talked about enough. Too often women don’t get treated for heart attacks because they don’t know they’re having one, it’s more subtle than men’s, or because they get dismissed.
But this topic’s too important to ignore. If you’re a woman and worried you’re at risk for experiencing one, here’s what you need to know about stress and how it can affect your risk for heart attacks. Plus we’ll get into some waysto support your heart health that actually fit into your busy life.
How does stress affect women’s hearts?
Chronic stress can disrupt a person's sleep and fuel their anxiety. When stress hits, your body goes into survival mode, and usually floods you with cortisol and adrenaline.
In small doses this is okay for everyone, but studies show that women’s hearts can actually be seriously impacted by this stress a little more because of work pressures, family responsibilities, financial worries, and mental load.
What stress does to your heart
Inflames arteries: Chronic stress can potentially damage artery linings, increase plaque buildup, and increase your risk of having a heart attack.
Raises blood pressure: Stress hormones might cause your heart to work overtime and strain your blood vessels.
Increases blood clots: Cortisol usually makes blood more likely to clot, which can be very dangerous for your arteries.
Triggers irregular heartbeats: Your nervous system can possibly go into overdrive and make you feel like your heart is fluttering.
Causes broken heart syndrome: Intense emotional stress can possibly mimic a heart attack, mostly in women.
Other risk factors of heart disease in women
Heart disease in women looks different than it does in men because of their added stresses like mental load and family responsibilities, and yet for decades, research was based on men’s symptoms and risk factors. That means many women are walking around with undiagnosed or overlooked heart issues.
Here are some other factors that can potentially raise the risk of heart disease in women:
Menopause and hormonal shifts: Estrogen typically helps keep blood vessels flexible and inflammation low. But during menopause, declining estrogen can lead to higher blood pressure, increased cholesterol, and more belly fat, all of which raise heart disease risk.
Pregnancy complications: If you had preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or preterm birth, your future heart disease risk can be higher — even if you feel fine now. Yet many women aren’t told to monitor their heart health after pregnancy.
Autoimmune diseases: Women are more likely than men to develop lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases, which may cause chronic inflammation that could damage your blood vessels and your heart.
Depression and anxiety: Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, which can increase inflammation, raise blood pressure, and make heart disease more likely.
Heart symptoms that get dismissed: Women’s heart attack symptoms can be subtle: fatigue, nausea, jaw or back pain. These are often mistaken for anxiety or indigestion, and many women are sent home from the ER without realizing that they just had a heart attack.
What are the symptoms of a heart attack in women?
Women don’t often experience heart attacks like we see in movies. They tend to be less obvious, easier to dismiss, and often mistaken for something else like indigestion, fatigue, and anxiety.
This is a big reason why women are more likely than men to have their heart attacks missed or misdiagnosed. It’s also why too many women don’t get the life-saving care they need in time.
The subtle (but serious) signs to watch for
The symptoms women experience can be quieter than men but just as deadly. Here are some red flags to watch out for:
Unexplained fatigue: This is the kind of exhaustion that feels bone-deep, even if you’ve gotten a full night’s sleep. Many women report feeling unusually tired days or even weeks before a heart attack.
Shortness of breath: If you feel winded doing normal activities, or even while resting, this can be a warning sign.
Jaw, neck, or back pain: Instead of sharp chest pain, women usually experience pain or pressure in the upper body that radiates to the jaw, neck, shoulders, or back.
Nausea, dizziness, or cold sweats: A lot of women mistake heart attack symptoms like nausea, dizziness, or cold sweats as just flu or stomach issues.
Chest discomfort: Feeling pressure, tightness, burning, or mild discomfort that comes and goes can all be a sign that you’re having a heart attack.
When should you worry?
If something feels off or unusual, listen to your body. Women tend to downplay symptoms, but if you’re experiencing a combo of these signs—especially unusual fatigue, shortness of breath, or upper body discomfort—it’s worth talking to a doctor.
If you do suspect that you’re having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Don’t wait or second-guess yourself. Your heart’s too important to ignore.
8 tips to ease stress and lower your heart disease risk
Unfortunately, eliminating stress from your life is not very realistic. Still, there are ways to incorporate small shifts into your life that can help protect your heart — without overwhelming you.
Here are eight practical and easy ways that to lower your stress and support your heart health.
1. Breathe like you mean it
Slowing down your breath literally tells your nervous system to relax. To help lower your blood pressure and keep your heart from racing, try the 4-7-8 method by inhaling for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight seconds whenever you feel stress creeping up.
Here are seven other deep breathing exercises you can try if the 4-7-8 method isn’t calling your name.
2. Move your body, no pressure
You don’t need to run a marathon or spend multiple hours at the gym. Moving your body in ways that feel good can strengthen your heart.
Consider doing a 10-minute walk, stretching between meetings, or even dancing in your living room. These small bursts of movement really can help lower your stress.
💙 Listen to Dance Yourself Clean with Jeff Warren to help get you in the mood to move your body.
3. Get real about rest
Sleep is a heart health necessity. Poor sleep increases inflammation, raises blood pressure, and makes your heart work harder.
If getting 7–9 hours feels impossible to you right now, focus on improving your sleep quality. Dim your lights before bed, avoid screens, and skip that late-afternoon caffeine boost. (If you're still struggling with getting good sleep, here are six other tips that can help.)
4. Set stress boundaries (without guilt)
Remind yourself that you don’t have to say yes to everything. Overcommitting can lead to chronic stress, which can take a toll on your heart.
Set small, realistic boundaries to help you stress less. You could start muting notifications, declining plans you don’t want to attend, or simply just carve out 10 minutes of quiet time for yourself every day.
5. Connect with people who make you feel good
Loneliness can be a major stressor, and a serious risk factor for heart disease. Try to make time for the people who make you feel seen.
Send a quick text, set a weekly phone date with your besties, or schedule in-person catch-up with that friend you’ve been meaning to reconnect with. Community is so important.
💙 Establish the foundation for deeper connection in the 5 Steps to Stronger Relationships series with Jay Shetty.
6. Fuel your body with heart-friendly foods
You don’t need to change your entire diet, but try to get more of the good stuff (leafy greens, nuts, berries, fish, and whole grains) in there. Small swaps, like adding avocado to your toast or choosing dark chocolate over candy, can reduce inflammation and support your heart health.
7. Laugh more, seriously
Laughter is (literally) the best medicine. It lowers stress hormones, improves circulation, and gives your heart a little workout. (Here are 10 other benefits of laughter that you might not know about.) So, why not watch something funny or call a friend who makes you laugh? It’ll make you feel good too.
8. Listen to your body
If you’re feeling unusually fatigued, experiencing shortness of breath, or having random aches that don’t make sense — pay attention. Women are conditioned to push through discomfort, but your body sends signals for a reason. Don’t ignore them.
Women's stress heart attacks FAQs
What are three warning signs of a heart attack in females?
Women’s heart attack symptoms can sometimes be subtle, which is why they’re so often overlooked. Three big warning signs to watch for are unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath, and discomfort in the upper body, which isn’t always chest pain.
A lot of women report feeling unusually exhausted in the days or weeks leading up to a heart attack, even when they’ve gotten a full night’s rest. Shortness of breath can feel like struggling to catch your breath, even when you haven’t been exerting yourself. Discomfort could show up as pressure, burning, or even aching in the jaw, back, shoulders, and arms rather than the chest.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, especially if they feel new or unusual, reach out to a medical professional for help.
What can stress do to a woman's heart?
Stress can have very real physical effects, especially on your heart. Chronic stress can consistently elevate your hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, this is associated with higher blood pressure, more inflamed blood vessels, increased cholesterol levels, and blood more prone to clotting. All of these factors can then contribute to heart disease and higher your risk of a heart attack.
Stress can also lead to an increase in poor sleep and emotional eating. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can then take a toll on your overall heart health. In simpler terms, long-term stress can keep your heart working overtime, and it’s not set up to do that.
What does a silent heart attack feel like in a woman?
Instead of crushing chest pain, women who experience a silent heart attack typically feel vague discomfort, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, or mild shortness of breath. Some describe it as feeling like they have the flu, a little indigestion, or just that they’re feeling “off.”
As a result, many women don’t realize they’ve had a heart attack until much later.
If something feels wrong, even if it’s not extreme, take it seriously.
Why do women experience different heart attack symptoms than men?
While men usually have heart attacks due to blockages in their large arteries, women are much more likely to have issues with their smaller arteries. This condition is known as microvascular disease, and it can lead to more subtle symptoms, like discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, or stomach.
Hormonal differences also can play a role. Estrogen usually helps women protect their heart, so when levels drop—especially after menopause—many women can become more vulnerable to heart issues. In addition, stress and emotional factors tend to have a stronger impact on women’s heart health, and this can make stress-related conditions like broken heart syndrome a little more common.
How does menopause impact women’s heart health and stress levels?
Menopause is usually a major turning point for heart health because of the drop in estrogen, which helps to play a protective role in keeping women’s blood vessels flexible and inflammation low. As your estrogen levels decline, your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and plaque buildup in the arteries can increase. As a result, many women’s risk for heart disease rises sharply after menopause.
Additionally, it’s common for women to experience more intense stress during this later phase of life, because of hormonal changes, sleep disruptions, and bigger life transitions. Because stress is already a big risk factor for heart disease, the combination of hormonal shifts and increased stress can make it that much more important for women to prioritize heart-healthy habits as they go through menopause.
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