The Silent Threat: How Mental Health Can Secretly Affect Your Heart Health
Posted on 12 Jun, 2023
Did you know that your brain and heart are connected and can affect each other in many ways?
When your mental health is in balance, you have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and various heart conditions. A happy, healthy mind affects heart health. This is because of the clear link between the head and the heart. On this World Heart Day, let us find out the triggers of impaired mental health and strive to work on improving your mental and heart health.
World Heart Day is celebrated every year on September 29 to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for nearly half of all non-communicable diseases in the world.
In this blog, we'll talk about the connection between mental health and heart disease, and on this World Heart Day, we'll discuss how we can improve that connection for your overall well-being.
What is World Heart Day?
September 29 is celebrated as World Heart Day every year.
World leaders in May 2012, committed to reducing non-communicable disease (NCDs) mortality by 25% by year 2025 globally. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide and accounts for nearly half of all NCD deaths.
The goal of the 2022 Summit is to host a series of high-quality discussions that address the prevention, treatment, and management of cardiovascular disease worldwide - around the universal and timely theme of 'cardiovascular health for all'
The connection between heart and brain
Remember, whatever you do for your heart is also good for your brain, and vice versa. It may seem that the heart and brain work differently to accomplish their tasks. But the heart and brain have a strong internal connection between them.
The heart pumps blood throughout the body and provides nutrients to all organs. The brain, or mind, is our body's command center, controlling our thoughts, what we say, and what we do.
However, according to research, scientists have found a close relationship between the work of the heart and the head and how they influence each other. That is, if your cardiovascular health is compromised, your cognitive health will also be compromised. And any interventions that take care of cardiovascular health will indirectly help cognitive health.
Heart disease and mental health connection.
The connection between the head and the heart and the relationship between mental health and heart disease should be on everyone's mind. This is because the biological and chemical factors that trigger mental health also affect the heart and influence heart disease.
Depression and heart disease
If you suffer from depression, you know how much it puts an emotional strain on your heart. But people are not aware that depression can also physically affect your heart.
Depression can increase the risk of heart problems by up to 60%. And according to the American Heart Association, depression affects one in five heart patients. Some common effects of depression on your heart:
Anxiety and heart disease
Anxiety can affect the condition of the heart in many ways. Panic attacks are very common in people with anxiety. Panic attacks are similar to a heart attack, and many who have experienced them even feel like they are having a heart attack.
Sweating and numbness in the hands and feet, shortness of breath, chest pain, etc. are symptoms of both a panic attack and a heart attack. The stress hormones released during a panic attack can cause high blood pressure and temporarily put pressure on your heart. This is how anxiety affects your heart:
1. Rapid heart rate
In severe cases, anxiety can affect your heartbeat so that it beats much faster, resulting in a rapid heartbeat. This increases the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
2. Increase in blood pressure
Who is at higher risk of developing heart disease due to mental disorders?
1. Women
2. Veterans
3. Minorities
4. Smokers
5. Obesity
Conclusion
You can take good care of your mental health by setting health goals that you can achieve slowly and steadily. Start celebrating small successes, take time to be active, get together with family and friends, eat foods from all walks of life and provide your body with the right nutrients and your heart will be healthy too. Foods like oats, barley, nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens and fruits that are rich in magnesium, zinc and B vitamins will help you relax after a long day and reduce the risk of heart disease.
An added benefit is taking supplements that induce calm and relaxation and help reduce anxiety and stress and lift your mood. Opt for supplements with L-theanine, which stimulates alpha waves to have a relaxing effect on your mind, and chamomile to reduce anxiety and stress.
Heart disease can affect various aspects of life, as can poor mental health. That's why you need to take comprehensive care of your body and make sure you are happy and healthy from the inside out.
If you believe you are suffering from a mental health disorder that is affecting your heart health or vice versa, remember that you are not alone. The best thing you can do for yourself is to seek help.
When your mental health is in balance, you have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and various heart conditions. A happy, healthy mind affects heart health. This is because of the clear link between the head and the heart. On this World Heart Day, let us find out the triggers of impaired mental health and strive to work on improving your mental and heart health.
World Heart Day is celebrated every year on September 29 to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for nearly half of all non-communicable diseases in the world.
In this blog, we'll talk about the connection between mental health and heart disease, and on this World Heart Day, we'll discuss how we can improve that connection for your overall well-being.
What is World Heart Day?
September 29 is celebrated as World Heart Day every year.
World leaders in May 2012, committed to reducing non-communicable disease (NCDs) mortality by 25% by year 2025 globally. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide and accounts for nearly half of all NCD deaths.
The goal of the 2022 Summit is to host a series of high-quality discussions that address the prevention, treatment, and management of cardiovascular disease worldwide - around the universal and timely theme of 'cardiovascular health for all'
The connection between heart and brain
Remember, whatever you do for your heart is also good for your brain, and vice versa. It may seem that the heart and brain work differently to accomplish their tasks. But the heart and brain have a strong internal connection between them.
The heart pumps blood throughout the body and provides nutrients to all organs. The brain, or mind, is our body's command center, controlling our thoughts, what we say, and what we do.
However, according to research, scientists have found a close relationship between the work of the heart and the head and how they influence each other. That is, if your cardiovascular health is compromised, your cognitive health will also be compromised. And any interventions that take care of cardiovascular health will indirectly help cognitive health.
Heart disease and mental health connection.
The connection between the head and the heart and the relationship between mental health and heart disease should be on everyone's mind. This is because the biological and chemical factors that trigger mental health also affect the heart and influence heart disease.
Depression and heart disease
If you suffer from depression, you know how much it puts an emotional strain on your heart. But people are not aware that depression can also physically affect your heart.
Depression can increase the risk of heart problems by up to 60%. And according to the American Heart Association, depression affects one in five heart patients. Some common effects of depression on your heart:
- Depression is usually a result of unmanaged stress, which may result in high blood pressure, weakened immune system, artery damage and irregular heartbeat.
- People with depression are prone to cardiac incidents such as heart attacks or blood clots.
- Depression is also harmful for people without heart disease, as it can still put you at risk for a heart attack or coronary artery disease.
- Negative lifestyle habits associated with depression, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, excessive sleep, and poor diet, can also affect your heart health and heart care.
Anxiety and heart disease
Anxiety can affect the condition of the heart in many ways. Panic attacks are very common in people with anxiety. Panic attacks are similar to a heart attack, and many who have experienced them even feel like they are having a heart attack.
Sweating and numbness in the hands and feet, shortness of breath, chest pain, etc. are symptoms of both a panic attack and a heart attack. The stress hormones released during a panic attack can cause high blood pressure and temporarily put pressure on your heart. This is how anxiety affects your heart:
1. Rapid heart rate
In severe cases, anxiety can affect your heartbeat so that it beats much faster, resulting in a rapid heartbeat. This increases the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
2. Increase in blood pressure
Anxiety can cause a dramatic increase in blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure can lead to coronary artery disease, which weakens the heart muscle and eventually leads to heart failure.
Anxiety can affect your recovery if you already have heart disease or underlying heart problems. That's because anxiety can affect your recovery:
Anxiety can affect your recovery if you already have heart disease or underlying heart problems. That's because anxiety can affect your recovery:
- Taking prescribed medications
- Resuming contact with family members and friends
- Affect your appetite
- Adhering to an exercise programme
Who is at higher risk of developing heart disease due to mental disorders?
1. Women
According to studies, women who suffer from PTSD or anxiety have a higher risk of coronary heart disease and adverse physical health effects.
2. Veterans
Veterans are more prone to heart disease, primarily due to PTSD as a result of combat.
3. Minorities
People who belong to ethnic or racial minorities or other minority groups are more prone to heart disease due to poor mental health. Many of them suffer from depression, anxiety, stress, or the social inequalities they suffer from time to time and place to place.
4. Smokers
People with high stress levels often turn to smoking to relax. Smoking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and causes about one in four CVD deaths, according to the 2014 Surgeon General's Report on smoking and health. Smoking cigarettes with lower tar or nicotine content does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the cells lining blood vessels to swell and inflame and promote plaque formation in blood vessels. This can narrow blood vessels, increase the risk of blood clots and lead to numerous heart complications.
5. Obesity
Obese adults have a 55% higher risk of developing depression in their lifetime. People who suffer from depression, anxiety, stress, and even PTSD over a long period of time may experience certain physiological effects on the body, such as increased cardiac reactivity, i.e., increased heart rate and blood pressure, decreased blood flow to the heart, and increased cortisol levels.
Conclusion
You can take good care of your mental health by setting health goals that you can achieve slowly and steadily. Start celebrating small successes, take time to be active, get together with family and friends, eat foods from all walks of life and provide your body with the right nutrients and your heart will be healthy too. Foods like oats, barley, nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens and fruits that are rich in magnesium, zinc and B vitamins will help you relax after a long day and reduce the risk of heart disease.
An added benefit is taking supplements that induce calm and relaxation and help reduce anxiety and stress and lift your mood. Opt for supplements with L-theanine, which stimulates alpha waves to have a relaxing effect on your mind, and chamomile to reduce anxiety and stress.
Heart disease can affect various aspects of life, as can poor mental health. That's why you need to take comprehensive care of your body and make sure you are happy and healthy from the inside out.
If you believe you are suffering from a mental health disorder that is affecting your heart health or vice versa, remember that you are not alone. The best thing you can do for yourself is to seek help.
