Gender Disparities in Work Stress
Work stress is a problem for nearly two-thirds of American workers, but women seem to feel stress more intensely than men. Women consistently reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, frustration and tension at work than men, according to a recent national survey by the American Psychological Association.
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Inequities between the sexes continue to plague working women both on the job and at home. In most two-income homes, women still shoulder a greater share of the child care and home management burden than their spouses. The result is unrelenting stress that nearly doubles a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Harvard Women’s Health Watch.
Will Your Stress Kill You? Maybe…
We are told to eat a healthy diet, drop extra pounds, avoid salt and exercise to reduce our heart attack risk. But unless we also decrease chronic stress, that risk will remain high.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of U.S. women, and stress is a primary trigger. Working moms who typically have the highest stress levels are at greatest risk. Yet physicians seldom address stress and stress-reduction techniques with their female patients
Know Heart Attack Symptoms
Heart attack symptoms are different for women and may include:
Stress stimulates the flow of stress hormones which can trigger increased blood pressure, faster heart rate and inflammation. In addition to high blood pressure and heart attack, chronic stress has been linked to everything from headaches and digestive disorders to cancer and sexual dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
How to Cope with Stress and Beat It
"Stress is inevitable,” Dr. Jennifer Mieres of the Hofstra School of Medicine in New York told Working Mother. “Learning how to cope and relax is what’s important for keeping your heart healthy.”
