Is the election harming your health? Here are tips for dealing with stress and anxiety

Angry outbursts, a lack of motivation and poor eating habits may be signs of election stress that will put some people at higher risk for cardiovascular problems this week, experts and research suggest.

Phoenix cardiologist Dr. Abed Asfour said he is prepared to see a rise in people seeking treatment for heart problems in the days following the election.

Election stress, Asfour says, is real. That's because stress can spike hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, according to Asfour, who is the medical director of the Cardiovascular Service Line for Dignity Health in Arizona.

"When these symptoms linger, it can put a patient at risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke among other life threatening complications," he said.

The risks are particularly high for anyone with an underlying health condition such as sleep apnea or who engages in behavior that puts additional stress on one's physical health, such as smoking or not eating well, Asfour said.

"Any emotionally charged event that is accompanied by an unhealthy lifestyle could increase the chance of cardiac events happening," he said.

Signs of a cardiac event include chest pain, an irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath that's out of proportion to the activity one is doing — or if any of those symptoms happen while at rest, he said.

Study warns of cardiovascular risk during 'notable political events'

An April 2022 study from researchers at Kaiser Permanente in California found the rate of hospitalization for acute cardiovascular disease for 6.4 million adults registered as members of two large health care systems, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Kaiser Permanente Northern California, was 17% higher in the five days following the 2020 U.S. presidential election compared with the same five-day period two weeks prior.

The study's findings, published in JAMA Network Open , "suggest that awareness of the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease and strategies to mitigate risk during notable political events are needed," the authors wrote.

"If you go to the physiology of the heart, and the impact of what stress does in the heart, it increases the heart rate, the blood pressure. It increases the inflammation," Asfour said. "All of these things also contribute to an increased chance of an event happening such as a plaque rupture that leads to a heart attack."

Behaviors that people engage in around the time of stress, such as smoking or drinking a lot of alcohol, increases the risk of a cardiovascular event, Asfour said.

"How are we as an individual taking care of ourselves over a long period of time? It dictates or kind of implies how we're going to react to the kind of stress that we're exposed to," Asfour said.

As for "quick fixes," since Election Day is already here, Asfour advises eating healthy, not smoking, limiting alcohol and if you find yourself stressed, go for a walk.

"In general, it's a good practice to try to practice relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga and any form of activity that may give people peace to help them break out of the cycle of stress," he said.

Expert: Show respect, compassion to those with differing views

In addition to taking a potential toll on cardiovascular health, stress can cause fatigue, headaches and an upset stomach. It also can threaten relationships and mental health.

The American Psychological Association's "Stress in America 2024 : A nation in political turmoil" report found that nearly 70% of the adults surveyed said that the U.S. presidential election was a "significant source of stress" in their lives. That percentage was slightly higher than it was in the 2020 presidential election and significantly higher than in the 2016 presidential race, the report said.

Eighty-two percent of the 3,305 U.S. voters surveyed were worried that people may base their values and opinions on false or inaccurate information and nearly one-third of adults reported the political climate has caused strain between them and their family members. About 30% said they limit their time with family because they don't share the same values, the report says.

Rodrigo Olivares, director of the Call Center at EMPACT Suicide Prevention Center in Tempe, suggests practicing respect when family members and others are expressing political views that are different from your own. Understand that everyone has a different perspective on situations, and practice compassion and tolerance, he said.

"Avoiding that argument is OK when you can," he said. "Sometimes just listening is enough. Sometimes someone just wants to be heard and the best response is that of silence."

Any time there is a national event, there are a higher number of people contacting the call center, said Olivares, whose call center is operated by La Frontera Arizona.

"It's fair to say we see more calls coming in around elections," he said. "Life brings a lot of different challenges and this is just one more element that could have an impact."

Stick to a routine and know how you do not want to cope

Olivares recommends that anyone who is in mental distress call 9-8-8, the national suicide and crisis lifeline. Callers do not need to be suicidal to get help from 988, Olivares emphasized.

Vibrant Emotional Health, which operates the 988 line, has other tips for election anxiety and stress, including:

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