Heart health
Its rhythmic beats reverberate as the metronome of our existence, narrating a tale of life that is profoundly personal and universally human. But the story of the heart extends far beyond its role as a vital organ. It encompasses our emotional wellbeing, our connection to the environment, and the delicate balance of body and mind.
This article seeks to delve into the depths of these topics, exploring how we can better understand our hearts and enhance our overall wellbeing.
The heart-body connection
The heart is more than a tool to pump nutritious blood to the entire body. It also has the capacity to read the state of the body, especially the level of body stress. This can be easily captured by measuring Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
HRV refers to the variation in time between each heartbeat and it is a crucial marker of body stress and overall health. It is measured by most health trackers like smart watches, smart wristbands, and my personal favorite - the Oura ring.
An optimal HRV indicates a healthy heart that can efficiently adapt to different situations, whilst a lower HRV is associated with stress, fatigue, and even serious health issues.
Contrary to popular belief, a perfectly regular heartbeat, like a metronome, is not a sign of optimal health. In fact, a healthy heart is slightly irregular, with the interval between heartbeats constantly changing. This variability is linked to our body's stress response and overall health.
When our body is under stress, it triggers our fight-or-flight response, reducing HRV to prepare for the perceived danger. Conversely, during relaxation, our rest-and-digest system (parasympathetic nervous system) takes over, increasing HRV. Therefore, a higher HRV is usually a good indicator of physical fitness and resilience to stress.
Regular exercise, good sleep habits, balanced nutrition, and stress management techniques can help optimize HRV. For instance, mindful meditation and yoga have been shown to improve HRV by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.
At some point in my health quests, I’ve been struggling with a significantly lower HRV for a few months in a row, and as nothing I knew worked to restore it to higher levels, I asked my general doctor to tackle it. It turned useless because he sent me to do a heart EEG at a clinic, basically looking at my heart health, and found nothing useful. But the thing is that HRV is more of an overall body stress measurement. A few more months later, I discovered through some blood analysis that I had some serious pathogens and that’s what was taxing my body. The moral of the story: HRV signals overall body wellbeing or stress, or early signs of dis-ease.
The Heart-Mind Connection
Besides the heart being connected to the entire body and its state, the heart and mind are also interconnected in fascinating ways.
Our heart sends more signals to our brain than vice versa, influencing emotional processing and cognitive function.
The interplay between the heart and the brain, often referred to as the heart-mind connection, is a topic of growing interest in neuroscience. The heart and the brain communicate with each other through nervous system signals, hormones, and biochemicals, influencing each other's functioning in profound ways.
The HeartMath Institute has pioneered the concept of heart coherence, describing it as a state in which the heart, mind, and emotions operate in harmonious synchrony. It's a state of optimal function, often associated with a sense of calm, balance, and clarity.
Heart coherence is achieved when our heart rhythm pattern becomes more ordered and sine wave-like, signifying that our nervous system is in balance. It can be cultivated through coherence-building techniques like focused breathing, positive emotion refocusing, and mindfulness meditation.
The heart-emotions connection
Emotions, positive or negative, affect our heart's rhythm. For instance, emotions like love and gratitude can enhance our heart rhythm, reduce stress, and boost overall well-being.
Emotional heartbreak, often resulting from loss or rejection, can cause genuine physical pain in the heart. Similarly, grief can impact heart health, creating a stress response that influences heart rhythms and increases the risk of heart disease.
Holistic approaches to healing emotional heart pain can involve a combination of psychological counseling, mindfulness practices, regular physical activity, and maintaining social connections.
Emotional wellbeing plays a pivotal role in heart health, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach in managing heart diseases.
The Heart-nature connection
Our modern lifestyles, characterized by concrete jungles and digital screens, have distanced us from nature. This phenomenon, termed 'nature-deficit disorder,' can contribute to increased stress levels and associated health problems, including heart disease.
Research suggests that being in nature can have profound impacts on our wellbeing. It can reduce feelings of anger, fear, and stress, and increase feelings of relaxation and pleasure. These emotional responses can lead to tangible physical effects, such as reduced heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.
I wrote this previous article on forest bathing, which goes even more in-depth on the health benefits of being in nature.
Tools for better heart health
Cardiovascular Exercise
Regular cardiovascular exercise, or 'cardio,' has numerous benefits for heart health. It helps to:
Improve Heart Efficiency: Regular cardio exercise makes your heart stronger, enabling it to pump more blood with each beat and work at maximum capacity with less strain.
Lower Blood Pressure: By enhancing your heart's ability to pump blood, cardio exercises can lower your systolic blood pressure and keep your vessels healthier.
Reduce Heart Disease Risk Factors: Regular cardio can reduce various heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Improve Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Cardio exercise can increase the efficiency of oxygen use by your body, improving overall cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance.
Breathwork
Breathwork involves consciously controlling and altering your breathing patterns. Potential benefits for heart health include:
Lower Blood Pressure: Deep, slow, and conscious breathing exercises have been shown to help lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and reducing the heart's workload.
Stress Reduction: Stress and anxiety can take a toll on your heart over time. Breathwork can trigger your body's relaxation response, reducing stress levels and potentially mitigating their detrimental effects on heart health.
Improved Heart Rate Variability (HRV): Breathing exercises can also enhance HRV, an important marker of heart health and resilience to stress.
Wim Hof Method
The Wim Hof Method, which involves a combination of controlled breathing exercises, cold exposure, and meditation, has been claimed to improve cardiovascular health, though more scientific research is needed. However, we know that:
Controlled Breathing: As part of the Wim Hof Method, controlled breathing can help improve HRV, reduce stress, and improve autonomic nervous system function, all beneficial for heart health.
Cold Exposure: Regular cold showers or ice baths, a component of the Wim Hof Method, might help improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and possibly enhance cardiovascular health. However, it's worth noting that sudden cold exposure could be harmful to individuals with existing heart conditions.
Meditation: The meditation aspect of the Wim Hof Method can help lower stress levels, potentially reducing the risk of heart-related problems linked with chronic stress.
Sauna
Saunas have been associated with several health benefits, including potential positive effects on heart health. Here's how:
Improved Cardiovascular Performance: During a sauna session, heart rate may increase to 100-150 beats per minute, similar to moderate-intensity physical exercise. This increased heart rate can improve cardiovascular performance over time.
Lower Blood Pressure: Regular sauna use has been associated with lower blood pressure. The heat from the sauna causes blood vessels to expand (vasodilation), improving circulation and potentially reducing blood pressure.
Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Several studies, particularly from Finland where sauna sessions are common, suggest that regular sauna use is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and cardiovascular-related mortality.
Reduced Chronic Pain and Improved Joint Mobility: The heat from a sauna can help relieve pain and stiffness in joints, a benefit that indirectly supports heart health by enabling more physical activity.
Stress Relief: Saunas can also help reduce stress levels, thanks to the release of endorphins, the body's natural 'feel-good' chemicals. Chronic stress is a known contributor to cardiovascular disease, so stress relief can be beneficial for heart health.
Yoga
Yoga has long been recognized for its numerous health benefits, and its effects on heart health are significant. Here's how this ancient practice can support your heart:
Lowers Blood Pressure: Yoga's calming effect and the focus on deep, slow breathing can help lower blood pressure. Certain yoga postures, like forward bends and inversions, are thought to particularly benefit blood pressure regulation.
Reduces Stress: Yoga's mind-body approach can help reduce stress and anxiety, both of which can negatively affect your heart. Regular practice may help lower cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and promote relaxation.
Enhances Circulation: Yoga postures and deep breathing techniques can enhance blood circulation, ensuring that your heart and other organs receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients.
Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Practicing yoga can enhance body awareness and mindfulness, which may in turn encourage healthier lifestyle choices regarding diet, exercise, and habits—all of which have direct implications on heart health.
Here are a few yoga poses known to stimulate the heart area, often referred to as "heart-opening" poses. These can help with physical openness in the chest and emotional openness as well.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): Start by lying on your stomach, then press your hands into the mat under your shoulders and lift your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. This pose opens up the chest and stretches the heart area.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana): Start kneeling, then lean backward to reach your hands to your heels, pushing your hips forward and opening your chest toward the ceiling. This pose deeply opens the front of the body, stimulating the heart center.
Fish Pose (Matsyasana): Start by lying on your back. Then, lift your chest and shoulders off the floor, tilt your head backward, and rest the crown of your head gently on the floor. This pose opens the heart and stretches the chest.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana): Start lying on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips toward the ceiling while keeping your shoulders and head grounded. This pose stimulates the heart and improves circulation.
Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana): Start on your back, then press your hands and feet into the floor to lift your entire body into a "wheel." This pose is an advanced heart opener that strengthens the heart and improves flexibility.
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana): Start lying face down, press your hands into the floor and straighten your arms to lift your torso, hips, and thighs off the mat. This pose opens the chest and strengthens the whole body.
Herbal supplements
Supplements can provide additional support for heart health. Some great ones for hearth health and healing are hawthorn and omega 3.
Hawthorn has long been used as a heart tonic in traditional medicine systems, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and European herbal practices. It's regarded for its gentle yet powerful ability to support overall heart health, offering several key benefits:
Promotes Heart Health: Hawthorn helps in nurturing the cardiovascular system. It enhances the heart's energy supply and facilitates blood flow by dilating coronary vessels. This can support the heart in functioning more efficiently and prevent potential future issues.
Supports Emotional Healing: Hawthorn is often referred to as a symbolic heart herb, helping to heal emotional heartache as well as physical ailments. Folklore and herbal tradition link hawthorn to emotional healing, particularly regarding matters of the heart like grief, loss, and heartbreak. It's considered to help open the heart, ease emotional turmoil, and foster emotional resilience.
Adapts to Stress: As an adaptogenic herb, hawthorn may support the body's ability to withstand stress, bolstering resilience not only in the physical heart but also in the emotional sphere.
Calming Effect: Hawthorn is believed to have a calming effect on the nervous system, which can indirectly support heart health. Emotional stress and anxiety can have a detrimental impact on heart health, so the soothing properties of hawthorn can be beneficial.
Antioxidant Properties: Hawthorn is rich in antioxidants, which are crucial for maintaining general health and wellbeing. Antioxidants help combat oxidative stress and inflammation, which can contribute to a wide range of chronic diseases if left unchecked.
For supplementing with hawthorn, I recommend hawthorn extract capsules. They are easy to find and use.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also vital for our overall health and have numerous benefits for the heart. Here's a more focused look on the preventative and emotional aspects of their benefits:
Supports Heart Health: Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, have been shown to maintain the health of the heart's cells and electrical system.
Lowers Blood Pressure: Even small amounts of omega-3 can help reduce blood pressure levels, one of the key risk factors of heart disease.
Boosts Good Cholesterol: Omega-3 fatty acids can raise the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as "good" cholesterol, which is beneficial for heart health.
Promotes Healthy Blood Vessels: By helping the blood vessels function better and become more flexible, omega-3 fatty acids can contribute to overall cardiovascular health.
Mood Enhancement: Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids can influence mood and behaviors by promoting brain health. Omega-3 supplements might help prevent and manage mood disorders like depression and anxiety, which are linked with heart health.
Anti-inflammatory Properties: Omega-3 fatty acids have potent anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation is linked with heart disease, among other health conditions, so keeping it at bay is crucial for heart health.
For supplementing with omega 3, I recommend krill oil capsules as they are high in omega 3, but not so exposed to toxins as salmon and other fish.
The heart's narrative is complex and multifaceted, intertwining threads of physical health, emotional wellbeing, and our relationship with the world around us. As we learn to listen to this tale - to appreciate its rhythms and respect its cues - we not only foster our heart health but also embrace a more holistic vision of wellbeing. In this dance between our hearts and our lives, every beat is a step towards harmony, balance, and health.
Barcelona Health Club offers personalized health retreats to those of you wanting to connect to nature, to your inner world, and to your better self version.
