Meditation for a healthy heart

Meditation is a collection of holistic practices that require training of the brain and body for emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. In the past few decades, there has been a newfound interest in meditation and its benefits not only for the mind but for managing serious health care issues like cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally and attract a lot of research focus to try and find ways to reduce this disease burden. Studies are being conducted to establish the role of meditation on autonomic tone, reflexes, and blood pressure. The mind-heart connection is being explored to understand how this ancient practice can be used to benefit patients with established cardiovascular issues. There have been some positive results recently, showing that meditation may be able to alter the risk factors for many health issues, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, insulin resistance, obesity, smoking, and psychological stress.

Benefits of meditation:

Here are a few ways in which meditation might help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases:

1.      There have been key findings regarding the relationship between HRV (heart rate variability) and meditation. HRV is the efficiency of the heart to adjust itself between beats. A high HRV rate means that the heart is healthy. Meditation has been recorded to increase HRV, hence improving heart health.

2.      Meditation lowers the cortisol level in the body which is a stress hormone. High cortisol level has been associated with an increased risk of a heart attack. Hence by lowering the level of cortisol through meditation you can lower the risk of a heart attack in susceptible people.

3.      Meditation can also lower your blood pressure through its calming exercises. In clinical trials, on average, meditation lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) by 4.7 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 3.2 mm Hg.

4.      Meditation increases resilience to stress. Studies have shown that meditating improves scores on the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale (CAMS) and Resilience Quotient Test (RQT) and that results are sustained for long periods. Stress can increase inflammation in your body and is linked to increased high risk of developing high blood pressure and to lower levels of HDL cholesterol (the ‘good’ cholesterol) .

5.      Meditation also regulates your oxygen consumption, adrenaline levels, heart rate, and breathing rate. All of these factors can contribute to the risk of cardiovascular issues.

6.      After a heart attack, many patients suffer from kinesiophobia (fear of pain caused by physical activity) and generally low quality of life. Controlled studies conducted at the European Society of Cardiology established that a daily meditation practice of simple breathing exercise can improve the quality of life of a heart attack survivor and reduce the fear of movement.

7.      Smoking is also a risk factor for heart disease. Randomized studies have helped to conclude that mindful meditation aids in smoke cessation and reduces tobacco use, assisting in overall health benefits and risk reduction of heart patients.

How to start meditation:

There are countless methods to perform meditation, each with its effects and benefits. The most basic form of meditation exercised by a large number of people is as follows:

1.      Quietly sit down, closing your eyes and breathing in a slow, sustained manner.

2.      Relaxing all of your muscles consciously, starting at the toes and slowly working your way up through the body to the top of your head.

3.      You may wish to use a specific word each time you exhale. You have probably heard of people saying ‘om’ while they meditate. It doesn’t have to be this word, it be any positive word you chose.

4.      Push back any thoughts by repeating the same word in your mind time and again.

5.      Continue the practice for 10 to 15 minutes.

6.      Consistency is the key.

Some other forms of meditation that might benefit the heart according to AHA guidelines are:

Vipassana: awareness of breath and air passing in and out of your nose.

Zen meditation: encourages awareness of breathing, posture, and thoughts in the mind and their effect on the body.

Mindful meditation: through focused attention, acceptance, and observation, this technique helps to create awareness.

Samatha: it calms a person through shifting focus outside of your body on an object or image.

Relaxation response: it makes you aware of yourself through mindful repetition of a word or phrase.

Help getting started with meditation

There are many YouTube videos demonstrating all these different types of meditations. Try a few until you find one you like. I usually just google ‘mediation’ and whatever I am wanting to do at the time. E.g. ‘meditation for anxiety’, ‘meditation for focus’, ‘meditation for healthy body’. There’s a guided meditation for everything! Once you get the hand of it you will be able to do it without guidance, anytime, anywhere. It is a super power tool to have in your health tool box

Since meditation does not involve physical activity it is suitable for everyone, even those recovering from cardiovascular events. So whatever your fitness and health level is, these simple exercises can help to improve your quality of life, reduce stress, and aid in overall well-being.

If you would like further guidance on stress reduction or cardiovascular health, check out how you can work with me here.