Meditation and heart health

According to research by the American Heart Association, there is a relationship between psychological health and the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, great mental and emotional wellbeing may help lower the risk of heart problems and cardiac events.

Meditation can be an effective practice to boost your psychological wellbeing. It can have cardioprotective effects and together with regular exercise, a healthy diet and good sleeping habits, it can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

You don't need to be sitting in silence for your meditation if you don't enjoy this. You can practice meditation while seated, standing, or walking. Consider putting on some relaxing music or listening to a guided meditation if this is more appealing to you. As long as you're able to focus your mind on the present moment and calm your body, that's what is most important.

Why is meditation beneficial for heart health?

There is a link between your psychological health and physical health (the mind-body connection). Many meditations involve slow, deep breathing, which activates your parasympathetic nervous system. This branch of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for slowing down your heart rate and blood pressure, and lowering the levels of cortisol in your bloodstream.

Because meditation has the potential to reduce your heart rate and blood pressure, it supports reducing stress on your cardiovascular system and strain on your heart. In turn, this can help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

These benefits are further enhanced by the fact that meditation increases your heart rate variability (how quickly your heart can adjust to changes in heart rate, such as during intense exercise or acute stress). Just five to 10 minutes of meditation a day may improve your HRV. A higher HRV is associated with improved health and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.