Stress Test

Whenever a person is up against a lot of responsibilities, serious obligations, or influential life events, he or she is met with stress, and often times a stress test is needed to see how the individual’s body is dealing with it.

Stress is very normal. In fact, it is useful. It helps to keep us focused and alert. However, an excessive amount of stress is dangerous. A stressed out individual is susceptible to illnesses. One of the most common and the most dangerous effects of an excessive amount of stress is heart disease.

Heart Disease Symptoms

Unfortunately, many individuals overlook heart disease symptoms until it is too late and they become ill. They may not even realize that they’re stressed and think that what they’re feeling will just go away after some time. This is one of the reasons why doctors recommend stress tests to certain individuals.

Heart disease symptoms include: headaches, dizziness, difficulty breathing, pain in the chest, inability to concentrate, and so on.

Stress Test Procedure

The stress test procedure is also known as a treadmill test or exercise test. Through a stress test, a physician can discover how your heart is functioning despite an elevated workload or physical effort. Also, a stress test can help your cardiologist to determine if you have any blockage in your heart.

The test definitely makes the body work harder than what is is used to. This means the body will need more oxygen. Therefore, the heart will beat more rapidly to pump more blood and provide more oxygen to the cells. The stress test will then help determine whether there is an increased blood supply in the arteries which provide blood to the heart. It also helps the doctors figure out what kind of exercise is required for a patient.

A stress test begins with the doctor asking a person about his or her health background. The doctor also asks him or her about his work and just how they are feeling. Next, medical sensor pads are put on the patient’s body and connected to a heart monitoring device. The patient then steps up on a treadmill machine and walks slowly and gradually.

The pace of the treadmill is increased, making the patient walk at a faster pace. Then, the treadmill also inclines steadily. In effect, it’s as if the patient is walking up a little hill. The person can also be asked to breathe into a tube.

During the test, heart rate, breathing, blood pressure levels and other various things are measured and supervised. Once the person is exhausted, he or she can tell the doctor to stop the device. The patient’s heart and blood pressure can also be checked following the stopping of the treadmill. Doctors are usually present during the stress test. While the stress test may involve very little danger for healthy individuals, doctors don’t take chances when the test is given to stressed-out or unhealthy individuals. Medical assistants are often present to take care of emergencies that may happen.

Stress tests are utilized to identify possible or existing heart diseases, figure out a safe level of exercise, and to determine whether the individual is in danger of heart disease while dealing with stress.

Please feel free to schedule an appointment to learn more about having a stress test done at our clinic in Austin.