STRESS RIPS APART THE HEART. Ok. It should come as no surprise that stress is very bad for us. The problem is that most people seem to view the recommendation as tongue in cheek. It never seems to be enough to change anyone’s behavior. But what if it was almost guaranteed that your stress levels will lead to you dying of a heart attack and having your family deal with the consequences? In this particular study, those with higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in their urine had 500% increased risk of dying from a heart attack. While it’s not a set in stone guarantee, it’s about as close as it comes. Think about this the next time you decide to stress over something. Is THIS worth dying to my family? Very rarely is the answer going to be yes.