Some disease is caused by chronic anger--not the little flare-ups that lash-out at the occasional injustice, but the constant anger that boils under the surface and keeps us from relaxing and enjoying life.
Anger and Heart Disease
According to Dr. Elaine Eaker in a paper published in Circulation, men who are quick-tempered or sulking have a 20% probability of early death compared to their mild-mannered counterparts. She found specifically that they had a 30% greater chance of a seriously irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation.
Dr. Eaker stated that even though there’s a perception that expressing anger is good for us, their study doesn’t support this. Men who expressed their anger died early. One might wonder if expressing the anger actually resolved the emotion or simply shared it with others without reducing the stress in the person who lashed out.
In the Annals of Family Medicine, September/October 2007, Dr. Marty Player wrote that people with a combination of chronic stress, anger and depression seemed to have a 68% greater propensity for heart disease. Of the people studied who were also prehypertensive, that is, their blood pressure was slightly above normal but not yet considered high enough for treatment, such people were twice as likely to develop heart disease when compared to people who were free from anger or depression.
Anger and Stress Response
A study published by Dr. Edward Suarez of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center found that people with chronic anger had elevated levels of C-reactive protein in their blood, a substance that has been found in other studies to indicate that the body is suffering from inflammation because of stress, infection or other immune system processes.
Animals studies have suggested that anger, fear, and depression all act on the body as stresses that cause the body to produce the appropriate hormones to counteract the stress. When the stress, whether caused by anger, fear or depression, doesn’t go away, the hormones like C-reactive protein continue to be produced, the body suffers from inflammation, and heart disease, arthritis or other chronic diseases result.
Getting Rid of Anger
Anger management has been found to improve overall health. However the management system must address the underlying issues. Unless the underlying stress is reduced, the body will continue to produce stress hormones. Individuals with chronic anger, fear or depression must seek out a balanced program that is capable of training them to respond to stress with calm purposefulness.
According to Sonia Brill, the owner of SB Consulting, there’s seven Rs to anger management:
1. Recognize that you are angry.
2. Release stress.
3. Relax.
4. Remember to take care of yourself.
5. Recharge yourself by being around people who are positive and loving.
6. Reshape your perception about the situation that is causing anger.
7. Rectify your mistakes and forgive the mistakes of others.
