How Your Mind Can Heal Your Heart

When we think about what we need to do to take care of our hearts, we think of the physiological—we drink less, exercise more and watch what we eat. We expect our doctors to tell us to lose weight, stop smoking or better manage our blood pressures. That's because we think of the heart literally when it comes to keeping it healthy. But, what if optimum heart health includes more than the fitness of the muscular organ itself?

Poets often write "from the heart" when really they're referring to what's happening in the mind. But, it turns out that what's going on inside the brain can greatly impact the physical health of the heart, too.

The Brain-Heart Connection

According to the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, negative mindsets can affect cardiovascular health as much as hypertension, diabetes or obesity. Long-term, highly stressful lives can increase cortisol levels, which spike cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure. However, a positive mindset could mean a longer life for all of us—especially those with coronary artery disease.

In the last few years, researchers have become more interested in what they call the "mind-heart-body connection." Their studies examine how a physical or emotional ailment or disease in one part affects the other two parts of us. In other words, if your heart is figuratively broken this Valentine's Day, there could be physical manifestations of your stress.

That might sound dramatic, but even the Mayo Clinic classifies "broken heart syndrome" (BHS) under diseases and conditions. Also called stress cardiomyopathy, BHS mimics heart attack pain due to a surge of stress hormones. Though a BHS death is extremely rare, it can be frightening because of symptoms like arrhythmia, chest pain and shortness of breath.

So, how do we heal our hearts with our brains?

Heart Boosters

Everyone gets stressed after a tough work week or occasionally depressed by current events. However, if your go-to emotions are usually on the negative side, it's time to change your perspective. Studies find optimistic, happy people with a sense of purpose reduced their heart disease risk by up to 35%. To heal your heart:

• Get connected. A study in American Psychologist reports social connection reduces our chances of premature death by 50%. Relationships help us live longer, lower our risk for heart disease, and boost our immunities. It doesn't matter if these are romantic partners, siblings or best friends.
• Practice self-compassion. Take Adele's advice and go easy—on yourself. A Clinical Psychological Science article explains that self-kind people experience less "fight or flight" reactions and more "rest and digest" conditions. So, no more self-criticism! You're doing the best you can.
• Stress less. There's a reason people say, "Don't work yourself to death." Studies illustrate that work-related stress and PTSD raise heart health risks 40% to 61%. However, optimistic people tend to have lower hospitalization, mortality and BMI rates.
• Seek therapy (and possibly medication). People with depression and anxiety are more likely to smoke, overeat or be at high cardiovascular risk. In one study, as many as 33% of depressed heart disease patients did not take their prescribed medications. Caring for your mental state improves stress rates and helps you develop coping skills—and we all need help coping sometimes.

 

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