SAVING HEALTHY HEART: THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS
Just as negative emotions impair heart function, pleasant, relaxing emotions have a positive effect on the heart. It is very important to take time out of your day, even if it is only ten minutes to do something that makes you happy. Our lives can be busy and stressful, leaving no time for fun and relaxation. Many studies have shown meditation, yoga and breathing exercises to have very positive effects on overall health. By slowing down your breathing you can lower your blood pressure.
Laughter and love can help to keep our heart strong and healthy. Dr Michael Miller, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA showed two movies to 20 healthy volunteers; one stressful and one humorous. He specifically looked at the endothelium, or inner lining of the arteries of the volunteers. Dr Miller found that blood flow decreased 35 percent during the stressful movie, and increased 22 percent during laughter. He concluded that “Laughter might be almost as helpful as exercise” to our heart, and recommended 15 minutes of laughter each day.
Several studies have shown that feeling love helps people to live longer, healthier lives. A 2002 National Heart Foundation study showed that social isolation and lack of group support are as important as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking in people with heart disease. A study of 1000 Israeli men with heart disease found that men who felt loved by their wives were 50 percent less likely to experience angina and heart attacks than those with problematic relationships. According to Professor Marc Cohen, who spoke at the International Conference on Health, Ageing and Longevity in Brisbane in 2005, it is not just romantic love that helps to keep us healthy. It can be love for anyone or anything that makes you feel as though time has stopped. Even hobbies that we love, and become totally immersed in are beneficial.
Magnesium is a mineral with many benefits to the cardiovascular system. It is very important for helping to maintain a normal heart rhythm and normal blood pressure. Magnesium has a relaxing effect on the muscles and nerves of the body thus can relax the coronary arteries and reduce the chance of spasms. Magnesium is excellent for highly stressed people, as it helps the body to cope with stress, and helps you to feel calmer. If there is a lot of stress in your life that is unavoidable, you need to take supplemental magnesium. When we are stressed, our body uses up greater amounts of magnesium, so we can easily become deficient in this mineral. A high dietary intake of fat and calcium make you more likely to become magnesium deficient. Interestingly, magnesium deficiency increases the release of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenalin, making you feel even more wound up. A lack of magnesium makes you more susceptible to high blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias. Those who are magnesium deficient are at increased risk of sudden cardiac death, coronary artery spasm and arrhythmia.
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