In a study of women with terminal breast cancer, those who participated in support programs lived twice as long as those did not. Stress can make you forgetful. Chronic exposure to stress hormones accelerates degenerative changes in the brain that lead to memory loss. In a Swedish study, elderly subjects with low stress levels performed as well as younger subjects in memory tests, while those with high stress levels scored 50 percent lower. In people with chronic stress exposure, memory loss may be permanent.
Emotional stress is an important trigger for heart attacks.
Stress hormones increase the speed and strength of the heart's pumping action and cause blood vessels to constrict, setting the stage for dangerous rhythm disturbances. They also enhance the clotting potential of the blood, increasing the likelihood of artery-clogging blockages that can lead to heart attacks. Stress increases your chances of suffering a stroke. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to thickening of the carotid arteries, blood vessels that deliver blood to the front half of the brain. Blockage and injury in these arteries are the primary cause of strokes.