You’ve been booked for a cardiac stress test and you’re scared silly. Relax. Been there, done that. It’s okay.

The cardiac stress test is an ingenious way of getting your heart to reveal it’s secrets, if it has any. In this article, you will learn what it is for and why you should not be nervous about taking it.

Yes, I know, it’s scary. What’s involved in this darned thing, anyway? Can’t I just go home and eat less potato chips and pop? And, what if they find “something”? Some forms of heart disease don’t show themselves when you are at rest. For example, if you work in an office and go home and watch tv all evening, you may be in grave danger but, not feel any ominous signs of it.

The cardiac stress test is the Cadilac of medical exams. You could feel fine but, be on the verge of a devastating heart attack. This simple test will reveal all by putting your heart through its paces a bit.

To properly assess your heart, it must be made to work a bit. This tells the whole story. This is why you often hear of people having heart attacks when they are doing something.

Your blood pressure has two readings. The first one, called the systollic pressure, is the maximum pressure your heart pumps at. The second, lower number, is the pressure between beats. 140/90 is an average reading for a healthy human being.

If your blood pressure is between 90/60 and 140/90, you can consider yourself in the normal range. Any higher than that and your doctor will be concerned, thus the cardiac stress test. Don’t consider your appointment a curse. Heart disease is sneaky and can pounce at any time leaving you confused, if you survive. You’ll be asking, “where did that come from?”

Problems with the arteries in your legs, neck and abdomen can go undetected. They are the silent killers. Heart disease doesn’t always give a warning like a chest pain or dizziness. A cardiac stress test will tattle-tale on anything hiding inside your body.

Your greatest enemy may be silently lurking in your veins. I am grateful that this technology was there for me. It is quick and painless. The people giving it are well trained and kind. It is like the repair man coming to your house to check the squeaky clothes dryer. He has to let it run for a while to make sure what the problem is and so it is with the cardiac stress test.

The people administering the test are trained to make you feel comfortable. Don’t worry, they have seen bodies that are, shall we say, a bit short of perfect before. If you are nervous, tell them so. They are trained to help you with that too.

They will connect you painlessly to some equipment as you walk slowly on a walking machine. They will watch closely how your body reacts to the stress of some mild exercise. Their machines will show exactly what is happening in your body. At the first sign of a problem, the machine is turned off and you are closely monitored to make sure you are okay.

The results of the test will be analyzed. If any problems show up, don’t get discouraged. Consider it a gift. There are all kinds of treatments and processes nowadays to help or cure what might have shown up. Smoking raises blood pressure. Your doctor might prescribe help to quit. If stress is a big factor in your life, make sure your doctor points you in the right direction for anxiety treatment.

A cardiac stress test is one of those rare situations in life that are win-win. If there is a silent killer lurking in you, it’ll find it. If you are healthy, you can click your heels as you leave the office.