---
title: Heart health
url: https://mbmi.org/conditions/heart-health
description: How stress relates to heart disease, what prevention guidelines recommend, and where relaxation, meditation and cardiac rehabilitation fit.
author: Mind and Body content team
last_updated: 2026-10-26
---
# Heart health

Heart disease is largely preventable through lifestyle and medical care. Stress is one factor that interacts with others, and managing it is a reasonable part of a heart-health plan.

## Key takeaways

- Prevention guidelines focus on healthy eating, physical activity, weight, not smoking and managing blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
- Chronic stress is associated with higher risk of heart disease, though it works alongside other factors.
- Meditation may be a reasonable addition to standard care. It does not replace treatment.

## What prevention looks like

The 2019 US prevention guideline recommends a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean protein and fish; at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week; avoiding tobacco; and managing weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.[1] (source 1)


## What stress contributes

Studies associate chronic stress with higher risk of heart disease, through effects on blood pressure and inflammation and through behaviors such as smoking and poor sleep.[2] (source 2) Effects of stress-reduction programs on heart events are less certain, and the American Heart Association concludes that meditation may be reasonable as an adjunct.[3] (source 3)


> From the MBMI Archive: [Cardiac Wellness](https://mbmi.org/archive/programs/cardiac-wellness) — The institute's 13-week program for heart disease and risk factors, 2005–2009.


## A heart-healthy routine

- Walk or do other moderate activity most days
- Eat more plants and less processed food and sodium
- Sleep seven or more hours
- Practise a daily relaxation technique
- Keep medical appointments and take prescribed medication


## Common questions

### Is it safe to exercise after a heart problem?

Often yes, and supervised cardiac rehabilitation is the usual route. Ask your cardiologist before starting.

### Can stress cause a heart attack?

Intense emotional stress can trigger cardiac events in people who already have heart disease, but most heart attacks result from the build-up of risk factors over years.


## Sources

1. Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al. 2019 ACC/AHA guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596–e646. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.119.040625
2. Steptoe A, Kivimäki M. Stress and cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2012;9(6):360–370. doi:10.1038/nrcardio.2012.45
3. Levine GN, Lange RA, Bairey-Merz CN, et al. Meditation and cardiovascular risk reduction: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017;6(10):e002218. doi:10.1161/jaha.117.002218