WASHINGTON — It’s not surprising to hear that big stressors can have a negative impact on health. But a new study out of Oregon State University found that men who get stressed out by little things, such as traffic, deadlines and spats with their wife, were more likely to die earlier than those who don’t.
The study followed the lives of almost 1,300 men for several years and found that those who thought daily life was over-the-top stressful were three times more likely to die than those who let things roll off their back.
“Whether it’s cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, even cancer — stress can effect almost every organ system in the body,” said Dr. Carolyn Aldwin, who led the study.
Aldwin says men can reduce stress’ impact by learning how to control it.
“Stress is manageable. You can’t necessarily affect what happens to you, but you can affect how you respond to it,” she said. “Looking at things as challenges rather than dreadful experiences can make a whole lot of difference.”
Also, she recommends other stress-reducing techniques such as meditation or exercise. Exercising for 30 minutes a day is known to drop stress levels.
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