Stressed? Angry? What makes you want to rip your hair out?
Stress, anger, hypertension proving a major health hazard to SA, survey shows
TRAFFIC woes, load-shedding, money and bad manners were all on the list of things South Africans found the most annoying, according to a new survey aimed at finding out what is sending the country’s already-high blood pressure levels soaring.
Spokeswoman for Pharma Dynamic Mariska van Aswegen, said they commissioned the poll in a bid to get South Africans to take their heart health more seriously.
“Statistics show that about 130 heart attacks and 240 strokes occur daily in SA, which means that 10 people will suffer a stroke and five will have a heart attack every hour. We would like to call on all South Africans to have their blood pressure tested at least annually,” Van Aswegen said.
“With 6.3 million South Africans living with high blood pressure, SA has one of the highest rates of hypertension in the world.
“Many however remain unaware of their condition because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms.
“Hypertension is also a precursor and leading cause behind other life-threatening conditions such as stroke and heart disease,” she added.
“Stress is also becoming a major contributory cause of heart attacks,” general practitioner Dr Peter Schwartz said.
“Stressful situations can cause your blood pressure to spike temporarily, but too much stress could lead to high blood pressure in the long run,” Van Aswegen added.
According to the Pharma Dynamics’ survey, almost one-third of South Africans are easily provoked – with partners, call centre agents and fellow motorists most likely to be on the receiving end of their anger.
Twenty percent of respondents in the survey indicated that they experienced daily stress and aggravation from everyday irritations and frustrations, and almost 40% admitted that these usually caused them stress long after the incident. Traffic was by far singled out to be the largest stress factor to South Africans, given the behaviour of taxi drivers
Van Aswegen said if you were tired, stressed, or simply at the end of your tether, it did not take much to make your blood boil.
“Try to take short breaks during times of the day that tend to be very stressful, identify what specifically makes you angry and think of possible solutions.
“Humour can also help to diffuse tension. Practise relaxation skills, especially when your temper flares, and exercise too is a great way to help reduce stress and feelings of frustration,” she added.