Heart attack: ‘Difficulty' regulating emotions can increase your risk - 'dangerous'

READ MORE: Robin Williams' widow found out the name of her 'husband's killer'As a result, anger can increase your risk of a cardiovascular event and shorten life expectancy, a fact reflected in recent studies, including one published by the National University of Ireland in 2021. Published as part of the INTERSTROKE study, researchers analysed 13,462 cases of stroke to identify any similar causes behind the cases; strokes cause around 100,000 hospitalisations in the UK every year making them one of the leading causes of death and disability. According to the data published in the European Heart Journal, one in 11 survivors they spoke to experienced a period of anger or upset in the hour leading up to the stroke while one in 20 had undertaken heavy physical exertion or exercise.

The results of the study have led to a more acute understanding of the way strokes can be triggered. The leading scientists behind the study explained further. Professor Andrew Smyth, one of the lead researchers, said: "We looked a two separate triggers.

Our research found that anger or emotional upset was linked to an approximately 30 percent increase in risk of stroke during one hour after an episode - with a greater increase if the patient did not have a history of depression. "The odds were also greater for those with a lower level of education. We also found that heavy physical exertion was linked to an approximately 60 percent increase in risk is of intracerebral haemorrhage during the one hour after the episode of heavy exertion.