Don't Let Your Anger Kill You

Even if you eat healthy foods, exercise, sleep 8 hours a night and do everything else that is good for your health, anger can have a devastating impact on your health and longevity.

A new study from Iowa State University researchers shed some light on just how strongly negative emotions, such as anger, might affect your risk of dying early. Do you get angry easily?

People Who Are Quick to Anger May Die Earlier:

The study involved more than 1,300 men who were followed for nearly 40 years. The men had an average age of just under 30 at the start of the study. Those who often answered yes to the question “Do you get angry easily?” had an increased risk of dying earlier.

Compared to those in the least-angry 25%, those in the angriest 25%, had 1.57 times the risk of dying early.

Even after accounting for other factors that correlate with mortality, such as income level, marital and smoking status, as well as personality traits, such as higher levels of cognitive ability, which can be protective, the association still remained.

The study’s lead author said:

“It’s not just about being angry occasionally for five years… These people were likely to have been consistently angry. It’s OK to have a cross afternoon, or even a year. This question may capture not transient anger, but a predisposition to anger.”

Why Anger Can Be Deadly:

Negative emotions can trigger a cascade of physical reactions that extend throughout your body, including increases in heart rate, arterial tension and blood pressure. Together these could prompt changes in blood flow that encourage blood clots, as well as trigger inflammation.

Letting your anger out explosively may be harmful because it triggers surges in stress hormones and injures blood vessel linings.

One study from Washington State University found that people over the age of 50 who express their anger by lashing out, are more likely to have calcium deposits in their coronary arteries, an indication that you’re at a high risk for a heart attack, than their mellower peers.

A systematic review involving data on 5,000 heart attacks, 800 strokes and 300 cases of arrhythmia, also revealed that anger increases your risk of heart attack, arrhythmia, and stroke. The risk increases with the frequency of anger episodes.

According to the study, when a person is angry, their risk of heart attack increases by nearly five-fold and their risk of stroke goes up more than three-fold in the two hours following an angry outburst. The risk was even greater among those who had a history of heart problems.

Those most at risk following anger episodes were those with underlying risk factors and those who got angry frequently. Research published in Circulation further showed that men with feelings of anger and hostility had an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heart rhythm.

Suppressing Your Anger Isn’t a Good Idea Either:

Although frequent anger is clearly not good for you, holding in your anger isn’t the answer; this has been linked to increases in blood pressure and heart rate.

One study even found suppressing your anger may triple your risk of having a heart attack .The health risks of suppressing your anger may be even greater if you feel you’ve been treated unfairly.

According to research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, people who indicated they were likely to suppress their anger in response to two hypothetical anger-provoking situations had 1.7 times the mortality risk of those who expressed their anger.

Further, those who suppressed their anger when unjustifiably confronted by their spouse had twice the mortality risk of those who expressed their anger.

As noted by Dr. Stephen Sinatra:

“Suppressed anger, rage, loss of vital connection (heartbreak), and emotional isolation and lack of intimacy with others are all ‘hidden’ emotional risk factors that can contribute to the development of heart disease.

Many cardiologists fail to recognize these psycho-emotional factors which often underlie other commonly recognized risk factors such as excessive smoking, inappropriate diet, and even high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.”

Getting Control of Anger, May Reduce Your Risk of Obesity:

People who don’t get angry so easily also are less likely to be obese and have less belly fat, than those who anger easily.

How to Turn Your Anger into a Beneficial Emotion?

Anger is a normal human emotion and it certainly can have its place. It is hardwired into our DNA for survival during primitive times. Today is a different time, but our DNA is still geared up for primitive times. Anger rarely is an advantage today.

Anger can prepare you for an impending physical confrontation. Anger triggers a surge of adrenaline, which may give you an edge if attacked. It is fortunate that physical confrontations are rare in our society, but they still do occur.

Some cope with anger by using their anger to fuel an intense exercise session or by cleaning their house.

Here are some other ways to control your anger:

1. Let go of grudges
2. Treat everyone with kindness
3. Regard your problems as challenges
4. Express gratitude for what you have
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff
6 Only speak well of others
7. Don’t make excuses
8. Don’t compare yourself to others
9. Surround yourself with positive people
10. Realize you don’t need others’ approval
11. Take the time to listen to others. This can avoid misunderstandings
12. Nurture social relationships
13. Mediate
14 Eat healthy food that is low in processed sugar
15. Be honest
16. Accept what cannot be changed
17. Establish personal control
18. Think positive thoughts

Read More