How to keep your brain cool by managing your emotions/Stress levels to save your heart
By
Dr. RGS Asthana, Senior Member, IEEE
Prelude
Are your heart and brain completely separated from each
other? The answer to this question is no.
One may argue that heart and brain are located in different regions of
the body, and also their study comes under separate disciplines referred to as cardiology
and neurology respectively. But, in
fact, these organs are very much connected and whenever your emotions adversely
affect your brain, not only your heart but whole body is also affected.
Let’s take an example where some people are reported to
have heart attack when say, India loses a World cup cricket match. Similarly,
one may have heart attack due to the shock (equivalent to very high level of
stress) such as the death of a loved one, a break-up, or constant anxiety. The
main reason is the emotional attachment; one has with Cricket or with the person
which causes very high level of stress on some. This emotional stress may trigger
adverse effect such as weakening of heart, particularly, on those suffering
from heart disease.
Intense emotion is a major risk factor for heart
attack and stroke, specifically, in the initial hours after the emotion
occurs. Precaution includes steps like
physical exercise, not smoking, and a healthier diet, it's just as important,
therefore, to take care of your emotional health as well.
Effect of stress on a susceptible heart
There are mainly
two kinds of stress that
impact your brain. Stress known as ‘eustress’ or good stress; helps you in getting things done as it assists
you in focusing your attention. Bad
stress (distress) may lead to lethargy and even cause cardiovascular disease (CVD).
CVD is a class of disease that
involves the heart or blood vessels. CVD, in fact, CVD includes coronary artery
diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a
heart attack). The heart of patients with CAD may be deprived of oxygen due to stress. This deprivation is called myocardial
ischemia and can occur in as many as 30% to 50% [1] of all patients
with CAD. Please note that emotional stress further aggravates the CAD.
Effect of stress on a heart with no disease
Stress/Emotions do have a big effect on your heart even
if you have a healthy heart. Even in people with no prior heart disease, major
depression doubles [2] the risk of dying from heart-related
causes.
“ For every affection of the
mind that is attended with either pain or pleasure, hope or fear, is the cause
of an agitation whose influence extends to the heart, and there induces change
from the natural constitution, in the temperature, the pulse and the rest” - Dr. William Harvey, 1962
Cardiac
psychology: Tending to your emotions for your heart’s sake
The term “Psychosocial” [also see Figure 1] broadly
categorizes factors which are:
·
Psychological – e.g., anxiety and/or depression.
·
Psychosocial – e.g., work stress, discrimination
and/or emotional support.
·
Social-structural – e.g., socioeconomic status,
social integration and/or neighborhood effects.
may
trigger acute Cardic Events
Figure
1 Phycho-social
Stress and Cardiac problem
It is important to control your worry and stress [3] on
top priority and ideally as soon as possible. This is so as there is elevated
risk in case one has CAD/CVD. Estimated incidence of major depression in the US
is 14%, but it goes up to 30% in cardiac patients. Depressed mood could also be
due to combination of other symptoms such as weight change, sleep disturbance,
insomnia, fatigue, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or hopelessness.
It is, therefore, not only advisable to worry
less and feel better but also because less worry keeps your brain cool and leads
to reduced stress for your heart. A new
emotion-based approach to heart’s health, called cardiac psychology, is
receiving increasing interest now a day. It helps you to change your brain in
the positive direction and get a healthier
heart in the process. Here are a
few methods to follow:
·
Get professional help.
Never
ignore stress, anxiety, depression, excessive worry, or bouts of anger that engulf
your life. Go to your doctor as early as possible and ensure you get right professional
help to overcome your problem and protect your brain as well your
heart.
·
Treatment using cardiac psychology techniques.
The
link between the mind and body including heart [4] has been studied over the
centuries in many fields, such as medicine and psychology. Aside from more
traditional psychiatric treatment and exercise, educational training,
stress management, biofeedback, counseling sessions, and relaxation techniques
should all be considered before or after a heart-related event.
Newer
treatment such as acceptance and commitment therapy has shown some
potential. It’s always advisable to familiarize yourself with the research
effort in development and validation of the CVD Acceptance and Action
Questionnaire (CVD-AAQ) for an Italian sample of cardiac patients [5].
·
Exercise.
One
of the major symptoms of aging includes a decline in cognitive functions,
particularly, in the areas of executive function, processing speed and episodic
memory. These age-related declines are further aggravated by CVD as well as
also by the related causes such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and raised
total cholesterol.
Physical
exercise in the right amounts can help achieve cool brain and a healthier
heart. Various types of aerobic exercise, including jogging, swimming, cycling,
walking, gardening and dancing help in reducing anxiety and
depression [4, 6] and also help in improving self-esteem as these
activities not only increase body temperature but also increase blood
circulation in the brain, thus,
improving brain’s ability to react to stress.
The
Surya Namaskar (see appendix ‘D’ [4]) is supposed to be a complete exercise by itself
provided one is fit enough to do it properly. It can, generally, be practiced
before any yoga routine. It helps warm up almost 95% of our muscles. It
comprises of flowing series of 12 yoga postures [Steps] and brings great
flexibility to the spine and limbs besides regulating breath and thus cooling
your brain. It could be just the wake-up call you need.
Epilogue
Terrorism,
such as, the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, 2001,
result in higher stress-related disorders, especially in those persons in close
proximity where such an event occurs. For
example, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, heart attacks and abnormal
heart rhythms surged more than 35 percent in Brooklyn area during
the ensuing two months [7]. The events in Brooklyn are an extreme example
of exposure to stress, but they show the close relationship between the heart
and mind.
For
many of us, stressful situations and anger are common in life. Many of us can
control or suppress their feelings, but others find it difficult to control
them. If you struggle with stress, anger, anxiety, worry, depressions, or
problems with self-esteem, you need to seek immediate professional help — or preferably
visit a cardiologist as you are in the high risk category. A consultation with
a psychiatrist may also be very helpful. Together, you can find which therapy
might best help you protect your psychological state, your brain as well as your
heart.
References
[1] Heart-Brain Interactions in Mental Stress Induced
Myocardial Ischemia by Robert Soufer, M.D., Hitender
Jain, M.D., and Andrew J. Yoon,
M.D. see abstract at
[4]. Chapter 4, 7, 8, 10 and Appendices on
exercises entitled. ‘Exercises of mind’, ‘The mind-body connection’, ‘Relaxation
Techniques’, ‘How to keep your heart Healthy’ and Appendix ‘D’ and ‘E’ respectively
in book entitled, “Live Active and Healthy,” by Dr. Geeta Asthana, Dr. RGS Asthana and Dr. Naresh K.
Sinha., Confluence International, pp. 224, ISBN
978-81-86425-90-9, pages 224, 2014.”
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