Political campaigns can affect more than voters’ emotions. Studies examining the 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections found associations between election-related stress, irregular heartbeats and an increase in hospitalizations for heart attacks.
Lindsey Rosman, an assistant professor of medicine in Northwestern University’s cardiology division, said emotional and heart health are closely connected. In a study of people with existing rhythm disorders, her team found a 77% higher rate of irregular heartbeats during the six weeks surrounding the 2016 election than during a comparison period.
The study, conducted in North Carolina, found a similar pattern across age, sex, race and other health conditions. Democrats and Republicans had comparable risks. Researchers noted that the state’s status as a 2016 swing state exposed residents to a particularly high volume of political advertising and campaign events.
A separate retrospective study examined hospitalizations after the 2020 presidential election. Matthew Mefford, a cardiovascular disease epidemiologist and research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, found that heart attack rates were significantly higher immediately after Election Day than during the same five-day period two weeks earlier. The analysis included people both with and without a previous history of heart disease.
The studies show an association rather than proving that election stress directly caused the cardiovascular events. Stress responses also vary from person to person, Mefford said, and not everyone experiences the same intensity of reaction or the same risk of a heart event.
Acute stress can trigger the body’s fight-or-flight response, increasing adrenaline and activating the sympathetic nervous system. These changes can affect the heart’s electrical activity and make abnormal rhythms more likely in people who are already susceptible. Inflammation and stress hormones such as cortisol may also contribute.
Stress-related habits can add to the strain. Poor sleep, missed medications, eating more foods high in fat or salt, and increased alcohol or caffeine consumption may all affect cardiovascular health. People with existing heart disease or uncontrolled high blood pressure are especially vulnerable, although cardiac events can also occur in people without a known condition.
Rosman recommends limiting exposure to news and social media, particularly before bedtime, while prioritizing sleep, physical activity and prescribed medications. Meditation, yoga, walking, hiking and other forms of exercise may also help manage stress. Mefford advises people to pay attention to their physical condition and “listen to your body.”
Sources: STAT News.