<p>Researchers have found just thinking about being stressed can make individuals fall seriously ill and even increase the chance of suffering a heart attack.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was found, while following more than 7,000 civil servants over a period of up to 18 years, how the increased perception of stress almost doubled the risk of suffering a heart attack.<br /><br />The is the first time a link has been discovered between heart disease and people's own view on how stress is affecting their health, Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />It suggests the doctors should take a patients' perspective into account when managing stress-related complaints.<br /><br />It could also mean that helping patients to unwind can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.<br /><br />Participants, who had an average age of 49.5, were asked to what extent they felt day-to-day stress had affected their health. Besides taking their medical background into account, they were also asked about personal lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise.<br /><br />Lead author Hermann Nabi, from the Inserm medical research institute in Villejuif, France, said: "We found that the association we observed between an individual's perception of the impact of stress on their health and their risk of a heart attack was independent of biological factors, unhealthy behaviours and other psychological factors.<br /><br />"One of the important messages from our findings is that people's perceptions about the impact of stress on their health are likely to be correct."</p>
<p>Researchers have found just thinking about being stressed can make individuals fall seriously ill and even increase the chance of suffering a heart attack.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was found, while following more than 7,000 civil servants over a period of up to 18 years, how the increased perception of stress almost doubled the risk of suffering a heart attack.<br /><br />The is the first time a link has been discovered between heart disease and people's own view on how stress is affecting their health, Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />It suggests the doctors should take a patients' perspective into account when managing stress-related complaints.<br /><br />It could also mean that helping patients to unwind can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.<br /><br />Participants, who had an average age of 49.5, were asked to what extent they felt day-to-day stress had affected their health. Besides taking their medical background into account, they were also asked about personal lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise.<br /><br />Lead author Hermann Nabi, from the Inserm medical research institute in Villejuif, France, said: "We found that the association we observed between an individual's perception of the impact of stress on their health and their risk of a heart attack was independent of biological factors, unhealthy behaviours and other psychological factors.<br /><br />"One of the important messages from our findings is that people's perceptions about the impact of stress on their health are likely to be correct."</p>