![\"REDFEB](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/..jpg\"\/ "\\"REDFEB")
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February is Heart Research Australia<\/a>\u2019s heart disease awareness month, REDFEB<\/a>, and the effects of chronic stress is one area it\u2019s raising awareness about this year. \u201cMost people think of stress as emotional or mental, but the heart feels it too,\u201d Heart Research Australia CEO Nicci Dent said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve normalised being wired and tired \u2014 but living in stress mode is like leaving your car engine running all night. The cost-of-living squeeze means many Australians feel like every day is a crisis \u2014 and our hearts are paying the price.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Heart Research Australia, recent national data shows that almost 50% of Australians say financial worries are the biggest factor affecting their wellbeing, while more than a third of workers report feeling burnt out every week. And the impacts of stress can harm the heart suddenly or slowly over time, cardiologist Dr Avedis Ekmejian said.<\/p>\n \u201cA sudden surge of stress hormones \u2014 like an angry outburst or a major shock \u2014 can trigger a serious cardiac event, such as a heart attack due to a blocked artery, or sometimes even stress cardiomyopathy or \u2018broken heart syndrome\u2019, where the heart muscle temporarily weakens,\u201d Ekmejian explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThe slow grind of chronic stress also has adverse effects on the heart. As you would expect, if we are constantly exposed to stress without any recovery periods, this will result in blood pressure issues, and modifies our metabolism, increasing cholesterol and sugar levels. This can increase the incidence of coronary disease, among other cardiac conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Ekmejian added: \u201cOur stress system is meant to spike and then return to baseline \u2014\u00a0when it never resets, that\u2019s when the risks build up silently.\u201d<\/p>\n Stress also has impacts on the brain, as clinical neuropsychologist Dr Miranda Say explains.<\/p>\n \u201cStress itself is not a bad thing \u2014 it\u2019s critical for our safety and wellbeing,\u201d Say said. \u201cThe real danger is when stress never switches off. When stress hormones surge, the brain switches into survival mode. When this is chronic, people end up groggy in the morning, restless at night, and stuck in a constant state of tension. We might notice that we snap, lose focus or are making poor decisions. This is a sign that the body isn\u2019t returning to baseline.\u201d<\/p>\n As per one of the messages of this year\u2019s REDFEB, Dent said: \u201cYour heart listens to your lifestyle,\u201d adding, \u201cThis REDFEB is about small, joyful habits to help your body return to baseline \u2014 from cooking a healthy meal to walking with a friend.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t always control the cost of living or your workload, but you can control how your body navigates back to baseline. Most importantly, REDFEB is about wearing red, raising awareness, and funding vital, life-saving research \u2014 so more families can be spared the devastation of heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n