The american heart association explains that although stress has not been proven to cause heart disease it may affect behaviors and factors that are proven to increase heart disease risk like high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, smoking, physical inactivity and overeating. An exercise stress test is a good — but not great — indicator of the health of the heart and coronary arteries. it works quite well for people who are likely to have cholesterol-clogged arteries and who can exercise long enough to reach their maximum heart rate. If your heart beats too quickly when resting, it could signal that you're in poor physical shape or that you're significantly stressed out. additionally, if you experience a very high heart rate, it is imperative that you take steps to slow it down! follow the methods for temporarily lowering a "high" or "very-high" heart rate. This effect, when combined with stress, can cause the heart rate to increase as much as 38 beat...