TYPE A PERSONALITIES AND HEART DISEASE

Have you ever thought that what personality type you are could effect whether or not you are at risk for heart disease? Most would not think this as your personality and heart disease seem to have no real connection. However, it has been shown that certian personailty types, such as type A personalities are more at risk for heart disease than others.

Why? Well let's take a look at what a Type A personailty is:

You have heard of type A personalities before but the term means many different things to many different people. To some, it may mean that someone is rude or impatient and to another it may mean that an A personality is a workaholic, and yet to another it may refer to the excessive competitive nature of the person. According to 50 years of research on type A personalities all of the characteristics are true. The following are some additional characteristics.

Type A personality traits

1. Frustration at having to wait in a line
2. Interrupts often when someone is speaking
3. Walks and talks very quickly
4. Always aware of the time and how little they have of it
5. Aggressive
6. Competitive
7. Workaholic

Physical Characteristics

1. Facial tension - clenched jaw, pursed lips
2. Grinding teeth
3. Tongue clicking
4. Dark circles under their eyes
5. Sweating on their forehead or upper lip

After a number of years of additional stress that most type A personalities endure there begins to be a toll on their health. The negative effects that are common among type A personalities are high blood pressure, heart disease, job stress, and social isolation.

Heart disease is a general term that refers to any condition of the heart. There are many conditions that are catagorized as heart disease. One of those is hypertension. Hypertension is when blood pressure is above the normal range, high blood pressure can be caused by stress. So it becomes extremely important for a person with high blood pressure to learn to manage their stress levels.

Since type A personalities typically have a lot of stress in their lives which could lead to hypertension it becomes essential for these types of people to manage their stress levels.

There are many different ways for a type A personality to manage their stress level to avoid being at risk for hypertension. Exercise, getting plenty of rest, and knowing what is stressing them out, and just saying no to additional responsibilities are all great ways to manage stress.

Taking the time to exercise everyday is one way to manage stress. A type A personality will have to schedule this into the daily routine, because otherwise they will not be apt to make the time to exercise. Exercise will lower stress levels because it can get the mind off of all the stressful thing that are going on in one s mind. It also helps because the exercise will make them feel better physically as well.

Sleep is important to people with high stress levels because with a good nights rest they will feel refreshed in the morning to tackle all that type A personalities think that they need to accomplish that day.

By analyzing what is a stressor in their lives, type a personalities can determine what stressors may be able to be eliminated. Just the sure knowledge of knowing what the stress is and changing the way one deals with those stressors can relieve stress.

It is also important to just say no. Many times in life we are asked to do things that are not essential to our happiness. Learning to say no when these occasions occur may be just what is needed to lower stress levels.

If your are a person with a type A personality or you know someone who is, these tips may be just what you need to be able to live a healthier, happier, longer, and better life for you and those around you. Slow down and take a few minutes to give them a try, the time you could add years to your life.

Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

---

Categories: Heart Health,

Help others find this article:
Socializer, Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, StumbleUpon

Favorites: Add to favorites
Tags: heart health heart_health