Day 249 of 365 - Heart and Mind
Heart disease, heart attacks and strokes are the number one killer in North America. I personally am considered at risk due to family history and having elevated cholesterol. As has been discussed in other posts, in the 1950's and 1960's, the consumption of animal fat in the diet was demonized as the cause of heart disease. I can remember my father being told to eat corn oil margarine instead of butter after a heart attack. He used it religiously, as if it would cure him of the damage done to his heart.
Now, we know that the greater dietary issue is the excessive consumption of sugar and processed foods (which also increased in the decades from the 1930's onward) causing the damage to our cardiovascular system via inflammation as a root cause. Yes, I still need to be mindful of regulating my cholesterol levels, but simply not eating butter is not so much of a concern to me as limiting sugar.
When we think about the development of the heart in a human fetus, it comes even before the development of the brain. What's the first thing we are anxious to hear as expectant parents? The heartbeat of course.
The heart is a powerful organ, for more reasons than just pumping blood. It physiologically entrains with the brain and guides it via a cascade of messages. That entrainment with the brain is most effective when we have a coherent heart rate variability.
Heart rate variability, HRV, is the variation in the time interval between heartbeats. It is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which sends signals to either stimulate or relax. We now know that these signals go both ways, from brain to heart and from heart to brain via hormones and neurotransmitters. Thinking back to fetal development of the heart and then the brain, this makes logical sense.
The measure of HRV is taken from an electrocardiogram. However, modern technology has also provided us with home use monitors, which could be a chest strap, or a wrist or finger device used in conjunction with a computer or phone app. If a person is in more of a fight or flight mode, the variation between heartbeats is low. Research has shown this to be a risk for cardiovascular disease and death. When we are more relaxed the HRV is high and the autonomic nervous system is more resilient.
This tool is one of the ways we can become aware of the important connection between heart and brain/mind. When the HRV is consistently low, it does not just affect the heart, but all the systems to which the heart sends blood and nutrients.
The heart is also the seat of our emotional well-being. We can all relate to this personally. For example, think of how many songs, novels and movie scripts are based on stories of heartbreak and the healing power of love. It's something we know at a primitive level.
Another thing we don't often consider is, that the heart never takes a break. That's a sobering thought. Other organs and systems have cycles of activity and rest throughout the day, but the heart just keeps on pumping. It actually uses 20% of the body's energy.
Cardiovascular disease is a complex thing. While diet and physical activity are recognized as the primary contributing factors, emotional challenges which stress the heart also need recognition. Because modern medicine has become so responsive to treating heart attack and stroke, as a society we have become rather blasé about it, thinking it can be easily managed. However, it is a life changing, and sometimes a life ending event. It is traumatic, both physically and mentally.
Knowing what we now do about the primitive but brilliant link between heart and brain, it is quite understandable that most people who suffer heart attack or stroke subsequently experience depression. Conversely, people who are depressed are at greater risk for cardiovascular events.
Our HRV improves when we get adequate physical activity and sleep. Practices like meditation and mindfulness also have a positive effect. I wrote about heart coherence in a previous post, where I referred to the methods of the Heart Math Institute for reducing and avoiding stress, while experiencing increased peace of mind. This is not just a New Age, airy fairy concept. Scientific measures of both heart and brain activity can now give us objective data, for those who require that kind of proof. But, our hearts knew it all along. My Dad's health probably would have improved a lot more from learning ways to cope with stress than it did from eating corn oil margarine.
Now, we know that the greater dietary issue is the excessive consumption of sugar and processed foods (which also increased in the decades from the 1930's onward) causing the damage to our cardiovascular system via inflammation as a root cause. Yes, I still need to be mindful of regulating my cholesterol levels, but simply not eating butter is not so much of a concern to me as limiting sugar.
When we think about the development of the heart in a human fetus, it comes even before the development of the brain. What's the first thing we are anxious to hear as expectant parents? The heartbeat of course.
The heart is a powerful organ, for more reasons than just pumping blood. It physiologically entrains with the brain and guides it via a cascade of messages. That entrainment with the brain is most effective when we have a coherent heart rate variability.
Heart rate variability, HRV, is the variation in the time interval between heartbeats. It is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which sends signals to either stimulate or relax. We now know that these signals go both ways, from brain to heart and from heart to brain via hormones and neurotransmitters. Thinking back to fetal development of the heart and then the brain, this makes logical sense.
The measure of HRV is taken from an electrocardiogram. However, modern technology has also provided us with home use monitors, which could be a chest strap, or a wrist or finger device used in conjunction with a computer or phone app. If a person is in more of a fight or flight mode, the variation between heartbeats is low. Research has shown this to be a risk for cardiovascular disease and death. When we are more relaxed the HRV is high and the autonomic nervous system is more resilient.
This tool is one of the ways we can become aware of the important connection between heart and brain/mind. When the HRV is consistently low, it does not just affect the heart, but all the systems to which the heart sends blood and nutrients.
The heart is also the seat of our emotional well-being. We can all relate to this personally. For example, think of how many songs, novels and movie scripts are based on stories of heartbreak and the healing power of love. It's something we know at a primitive level.
Another thing we don't often consider is, that the heart never takes a break. That's a sobering thought. Other organs and systems have cycles of activity and rest throughout the day, but the heart just keeps on pumping. It actually uses 20% of the body's energy.
Cardiovascular disease is a complex thing. While diet and physical activity are recognized as the primary contributing factors, emotional challenges which stress the heart also need recognition. Because modern medicine has become so responsive to treating heart attack and stroke, as a society we have become rather blasé about it, thinking it can be easily managed. However, it is a life changing, and sometimes a life ending event. It is traumatic, both physically and mentally.
Knowing what we now do about the primitive but brilliant link between heart and brain, it is quite understandable that most people who suffer heart attack or stroke subsequently experience depression. Conversely, people who are depressed are at greater risk for cardiovascular events.
Our HRV improves when we get adequate physical activity and sleep. Practices like meditation and mindfulness also have a positive effect. I wrote about heart coherence in a previous post, where I referred to the methods of the Heart Math Institute for reducing and avoiding stress, while experiencing increased peace of mind. This is not just a New Age, airy fairy concept. Scientific measures of both heart and brain activity can now give us objective data, for those who require that kind of proof. But, our hearts knew it all along. My Dad's health probably would have improved a lot more from learning ways to cope with stress than it did from eating corn oil margarine.
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