Hypertension

Panic attacks are abrupt attacks where you feel fear, discomfort, and like you're losing control even when there's no danger. These attacks occur out of the blue with no warning and some symptoms can feel like a heart attack. Panic attacks are typically short, reaching their peak in less than 10 minutes. An attack usually lasts anywhere from a few minutes up to 30, though repeated attacks can recur for hours. Here's what you need to know about the length of a panic attack, and how you can cope or prevent it from occurring. Most panic attacks last only a few minutes — though they often feel like a lifetime when you're experiencing one. Symptoms typically peak within 10 minutes and then begin to fade away. It's possible to have a panic attack that's especially long or short. Some attacks can peak in a few seconds, with the entire attack lasting just minutes, while others may last longer. Most research has described single panic attacks lasting up to 30 minutes. So...

Erectile dysfunction (ED), formerly known as impotence, is a condition that affects roughly 40% of people with penises over the age of 40 and 70% over the age of 70. One of the key risk factors for ED is high cholesterol. In fact, some studies suggest that seven of every 10 people with ED meet the clinical definition of high cholesterol (also known as hypercholesterolemia ). Therefore, it may seem reasonable to assume that taking cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins could potentially improve ED. But is the relationship that straightforward? This article takes a closer look at the potential benefits of statins in people with ED as well as the various factors that can influence a person's ability to get and keep an erection if a statin drug is prescribed. Hailshadow / Getty Images High Cholesterol and ED There is no single cause of ED. There are many factors that can contribute, some of which are physical and others of which may be psychol...

Relationship stress can hit new highs during the holidays. Aaron Amat/iStock via Getty Images Plus Rosie Shrout, Purdue University With the flurry of shopping, spending money and traveling to see family, stress can feel inevitable during the holidays. You might already know stress can affect your own health, but what you may not realize is that your stress - and how you manage it - is catching. Your stress can spread around, particularly to your loved ones. As a social-health psychologist, I have developed a model on how partners and their stress influence each other's psychological and biological health. Through that and my other research, I've learned that the quality of intimate relationships is crucial to people's health. Here's just a sample: Relationship stress can alter the immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. A study of newlyweds found levels of stress hormones were higher when couples were hostile during a conflict - that is, when they were cri...

Oatmeal is one of the best cholesterol-lowering breakfast foods out there, mainly thanks to the health benefits that oats have to offer. In fact, eating a hearty bowl of oats may quite literally reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol and improve other markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, making it a cholesterol-improving superstar. Among the sea of good-for-you nutrients that this dish provides–including B vitamins, iron, and magnesium–oats contain a unique soluble fiber called beta-glucans. This soluble fiber is associated with enhancing the removal of bile acids and cholesterol from the body, resulting in lowered cholesterol levels. RELATED : The Best Breakfast Foods to Eat If You Have High Cholesterol, Say Dietitians The evidence surrounding the benefit of oat beta-glucans on cholesterol is so strong that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of a heart health claim whenever oats are used in a food. Specifically, this health claim...

Your blood pressure measurement takes into account how much blood is passing through your blood vessels and the amount of resistance the blood meets while the heart is pumping. High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the force of blood pushing through your vessels is consistently too high. In this article, we'll cover the basics of hypertension, including its symptoms, causes, how it's treated, and more. Narrow blood vessels, also known as arteries, create more resistance for blood flow. The narrower your arteries are, the more resistance there is, and the higher your blood pressure will be. Over the long term, the increased pressure can cause health issues, including heart disease. Hypertension is quite common. In fact, since the guidelines changed in 2017, nearly half of American adults could now be diagnosed with this condition. Hypertension typically develops over the course of several years. Usually, you don't notice any symptoms. But even without symptoms, h...