Chest Pain and Stress

If you suffer from chronic stress, one of the scariest symptoms you may experience is chest pain.

It feels like someone just sat on your chest and won’t get off. You may also experience sharp, radiating pains in your arms. The sensation can be quite painful, and it may even be debilitating.

Causes of Chest Pain

When chest pain occurs, many people fear they are having a heart attack. Because chest pain can be one of the primary symptoms of a heart attack, it is important to seek medical attention immediately if you begin to experience it.

If you are at high risk of a heart attack, it is particularly important to get medical help without delay. Remember that heart attacks can happen even if you are not at risk, and they can occur without warning.

However, chest pain does not always indicate a heart attack. In fact, there are many other causes that may be the culprit. It could be due to another type of heart-related problem, such as:

• Angina – This is a type of chest pain that is caused when a section of your heart isn’t receiving enough blood


• Coronary Spasm – This occurs when the muscles in the artery wall briefly and temporarily constrict


• Pericarditis – This is a swelling of the thin, sac-like membrane surrounding the heart


• Aortic Dissection – This occurs when the inner layer of the aorta’s wall splits open

Chest pain can also be caused by other conditions that are not heart-related, such as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), costochondritis, hiatal hernia, asthma, pneumonia, anxiety, or panic attacks. By far the best course of action is to go see your doctor. Your doctor can rule out most of these conditions through simple and accurate testing.

Stress-Related Chest Pain

There is another very common cause of chest pain: stress. Every year, a many patients seeking medical attention for chest pain are diagnosed with unexplained chest pain. Many of these people experience recurring chest pain over several years, and it can make them feel lethargic, anxious, or fearful of death.

Stress is often identified as the major cause. Studies have shown that both men and women who experience unexplained chest pain often have very high levels of stress in their work and personal lives.

Reducing Stress

One of the most effective, proven ways to reduce stress is to use relaxation techniques in the form of guided imagery. Relaxation guided imagery is especially powerful in relieving stress because it is easy (all it requires is listening) and fast (it can induce feelings of relaxation in as little as five minutes).

Here is a free sample track of relaxation guided imagery from our Self-Guided Relaxation CD that will help you relieve stress and reduce chest pain:

Click the Play Button Below to Listen Now.

Other Ways to Reduce Stress

• Get More Exercise - It is a simple fact that exercise reduces stress, so in order to maintain a healthy sense of balance in life, it is necessary to get up and stretch or move at frequent intervals throughout the day.


• Get Better Sleep - If you don’t sleep well, you might find some lifesavers here, and if you do have good sleep habits, this section will affirm and clarify much of what you have intuitively learned.


• Improve Your Diet - The ability of your body to maintain adequate reserves of energy against the impact of stress depends to a large extent on a well-balanced and nutritionally sound diet.


• Rethink Your Finances - For many of us, stress and money can go hand in hand, and if you do not know how to reduce financial stress, your life can be thrown greatly out of balance.

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