How Emotional Well‑Being Supports a Healthier Heart
We often associate good heart health with regular exercise and a balanced diet. However, some of us might overlook the fact that mental health might also affect the heart. Research shows that depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and even poor sleep can affect the heart health. For example, adults who sleep less than 7 hours a night over time might increase their risk of health problems like heart attacks, heart disease, and stroke.
So, while diet and exercise remain just as important for a healthy heart, emotional well-being, and sleep play an equally critical role. Let's take a deeper look into the relationship between heart health and self-compassion:
What is Self-Compassion?
Many of us find it easy to offer comfort and understanding to the people we care about. Yet when we face moments of doubt or failure, we often judge ourselves harshly. Self-compassion is the act of showing ourselves the same love, kindness, patience, empathy, and compassion we would towards a family member or friend.
Heart-centred acts of self-compassion include:
- Having a warm and understanding attitude towards ourselves when we falter,
- Taking care of our mind and body,
- Practising gratitude as a grounding habit.
Everyday Habits That Support A Healthy Heart
The small changes we make towards better heart health daily can certainly go a long way.
Recommended Exercise
While exercise is one of the most effective ways to strengthen the heart muscle, experts recommend aerobic exercise and resistance training. Aerobic exercise improves circulation, which ultimately leads to a better heart rate and lower blood pressure. Even 30 minutes a day, five days a week can make a significant difference, and you can even mix it up and make it more fun by taking up swimming, playing tennis, or cycling. Resistance training can help create leaner muscle mass and reduce fat. Weightlifting, squats, push-ups, or working out with resistance bands are recommended.
Recommended Exercise
Heart-healthy eating involves choosing certain foods like fruits and vegetables and limiting others like sugar and saturated fats. The ideal heart-healthy diet includes:
- A combination of vegetables and fruits,
- Healthy whole grains,
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy,
- Protein-rich foods, and
- Oils high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Bonus Recommendation
Let's now address our favourite but overlooked remedy for a healthy heart: Rest!
During normal sleep, our blood pressure goes down. Being unable to sleep well at night means our blood pressure remains high for a longer time, and ultimately, this might increase the risks of stroke and heart disease.
The Link Between Emotional Well-Being and Cardiovascular Risk
Mental health conditions like anxiety or depression can increase our blood pressure and heart rate, ultimately contributing to poor heart health. Conversely, studies show that greater emotional well-being is linked with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease
Wellbeing encompasses aspects like doing pleasurable things that one likes, attaining happiness, following one's passions, optimism and positive thinking, having strong emotional bonds, setting life goals that provide purpose, and being kind to oneself.
Understanding Basic Heart Health Markers
There are certain health markers that help you understand your risk of heart disease.
Blood Pressure
We're all familiar with the blood pressure test, which measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps.
Generally, normal blood pressure is a reading that is lower than 120/80 mm Hg
Cholesterol Levels
Another test encompasses checking cholesterol levels to gauge how much cholesterol is circulating in your blood.
- The HDL (good cholesterol) should be high (ideally 60 to 80)
- The LDL (bad cholesterol) should be below 100
- Total should be below 200.
Inflammation
Inflammation has a causal effect on the build-up of plaques in the arteries. Higher-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels are linked to a higher risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke.
Many factors can cause CRP levels to rise briefly, which is why the test should be done twice, two weeks apart. An hs-CRP level above 2 mg per litre indicates a higher risk of heart disease.
In Conclusion
Caring for the heart is more than diet and exercise, it’s about tending to our inner world. Self‑care is not self‑indulgence; it’s maintenance. Just as we do our best at our workplaces and relationships, we should also nurture our emotional and mental well‑being to prevent invisible wear and tear from causing real harm.
Self-care, rest, and emotional well-being go hand in hand with diet and food in all matters concerning the heart, ultimately leading to a healthier, productive and more fulfilling life.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Readers are advised to (i) obtain independent professional advise before making any decisions related to or arising out of this blog article (ii) carefully review their health insurance policy terms and conditions to understand their applicable coverage scope (as some benefits may or may not be applicable to you), limits, and exclusions. Sukoon Insurance PJSC does not make any representation or warranty of any kind in relation to this article/blog post including that any of the data, information, materials on this blog article are accurate, reliable, or complete. Sukoon Insurance PJSC hereby disclaims any and all responsibility or liability of any kind for any direct or indirect damages or losses of any kind caused to you in relation to or arising out of this blog article.