Heart Health and Emotions

February is American Heart Month. How appropriate that is, since it is also the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day. The day we are supposed to take time out of our hectic schedules and spend it with that special someone who has captured our hearts. Many people who don’t have someone special or who have lost someone special feel somewhat sad, left out, and alone during the Valentine’s Day Celebration as they reflect. I can certainly understand why they may feel that way. It is important to focus on not becoming overly stressed or overly sad. Your heart health and emotions are deeply connected, whether they are good or bad!

Emotions and Your Heart — How it Works

How Your Heart Rhythm Responds to Emotions

Studies show that our heart rhythm actually changes based on our emotions. If it is a good emotion, our hearts produce a smooth pattern, and our nervous systems are in balance. If it is a negative emotion, the opposite is true. Recently, I read a book that talked about cellular memory and that all of our cells have memories (similar to muscle memory) and included in these memories are stored emotions. This book explained that memories are actually stored as images and they can affect our health negatively, and most of us aren’t even aware of it. It is not a surprise to anyone that stress, including cellular stress, is still the top culprit for heart disease, many types of cancers, and other chronic health problems.

Broken Heart Syndrome

Now that we know our feelings and emotions affect our heart, I have to talk about Broken Heart Syndrome. One day I was watching PBS and there was a show on talking about people that have actually died of a broken heart. The ER Physician on the show stated that individuals who had lost someone they loved very much, such as a spouse or a child, were so grief-ridden that it actually affected their heart muscle, causing them to die. This occurs more often than you think. It is known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy or Broken Heart Syndrome when it is caused by the loss of a loved one.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy actually affects more people than you would think. According to the Mayo Clinic, Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (aka Broken heart syndrome or Stress Induced Cardiomyopathy) is caused by an extremely stressful situation that produces a huge surge of hormones that causes a part of your heart to enlarge, weakening your heart muscle, making it difficult for your heart to continue pumping.

Many individuals feel as if they are having a heart attack. They feel sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, general weakness, or irregular heartbeat. Broken Heart Syndrome differs from a heart attack because when you have a heart attack, there is an actual blockage of an artery. Women are more prone to this, especially after the age of 50. Many individuals who get this are prone to getting it again if they have another extremely stressful situation. Broken Heart Syndrome usually corrects itself; however, for some people, it is fatal, partially due to complications and partially due to their emotions.

The Gut-Brain-Heart Connection

Stress is closely related to both your heart health and your gut health. Stress in the short term is a good thing; however, chronic stress affects the diversity of the bacteria in our gut, which can promote inflammation. Inflammation can affect heart rhythm and cardiovascular health. That gut-brain axis ties all of it together.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Heart

Coronary artery disease remains one of the most common forms of heart disease. Fortunately, many risk factors can be improved through healthy lifestyle habits.

• Watch your weight
• If you smoke, quit now and limit or avoid your exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Maintain healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure
• Drink alcohol in moderation
• Get active – find out which sweaty activity you enjoy
• Eat healthy with lots of greens, vegetables, and fruits
• Grab a Copy of The Healthy Habits Challenge, and start creating a healthier you
• Manage your stress

While we cannot eliminate every source of stress from our lives, we can learn healthier ways to respond to it. Daily habits such as exercise, spending time outdoors, deep breathing, prayer, gratitude, supportive relationships, and healthy nutrition can all help support both emotional wellness and heart health.

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