The benefits of meditation for your heart health

If you're one of the many people who meditate, you're aware of the power of mindfulness and its impact on your health. And anyone who has ever rolled down their car windows and turned on the radio knows the power of music to make you feel better.

When we are stressed, our hearts race and we breathe faster. We can calm our hearts and minds and improve our focus and memory by taking longer, fuller breaths. Meditation and mindfulness require a great deal of patience and practice to master. The health benefits of investing in your inner-self are supported by scientific evidence.

Meditation trains our minds to filter out the extraneous noise of modern life, allowing us to focus on where we are and what we are doing. Meditation instructs us to take a moment for ourselves to clear our minds, sit still, and let go of lingering thoughts, instead focusing on the sensations our bodies are experiencing. It's an inward-focused practice that provides much-needed peace and quiet.

There is more to preventing heart attacks and strokes than medications, exercise, and diet. The most recent research confirms that people who meditate are significantly less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or to die within the next five years. Meditation can help with cardiovascular risk reduction.

Let's dive into the benefits of meditation for your heart health

1. People who meditate have a lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Scientific studies at research institutes around the world have documented the numerous benefits of meditation, including improved heart health and a reduction in heart rate variability. The American Journal of Cardiology published a study in June 2020 that found meditation to be associated with a lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease. This research backs up previous findings that people who meditate are less likely to have a heart attack or stroke—some studies show an 88 per cent reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

According to Harvard Medical School professor and cardiologist Dr. Deepak Bhatt, “[Meditation] can lower your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, oxygen consumption, adrenaline levels, and levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress.”

2. Is there no danger? Consider again. By definition, modern society is stressful. The speed, the stimuli online and offline, diet and lifestyle, competing demands at home and work, expectations of what a happy life looks like, and the rising prevalence of anxiety and depression are all factors to consider. Then there are the toxins in the environment.

Every day, the heart (and mind!) are subjected to varying degrees of stress. A study published in the Lancet found a link between stress and an increase in the number of heart attacks. Stress not only affects our mental health, causing anxiety and depression, but it also has a significant physical impact. It's worth noting that these mental and physical ailments can also become a source of stress in and of themselves, resulting in a vicious cycle.

Stress reduction is thus a critical component of maintaining a healthy heart and preventing/managing cardiovascular risk factors.

Meditation has been shown in dozens of studies, including a recent Yale study, to significantly reduce anxiety and depression. Additionally, it's been demonstrated that meditation can, in some cases, start reducing stress hormones right away in people who are just starting.

Conclusion While stress is a major risk factor for heart disease, it has also been shown to cause or worsen 80 percent of all disease. That alone should be enough motivation to start a regular meditation practice, especially one that has been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk and cortisol levels from the first session.

Finally, exercise and diet play an important role in your well-being—and meditation practices can help cultivate focused attention to make these lifestyle changes that support a healthy, happy life.

Ensure you have control over how your heart is doing by regularly using KardiaMobile 6L. The KardiaMobile 6L is the first and only FDA-approved six-lead personal ECG device. It detects the most arrhythmias of any personal ECG device.

With an ECG, KardiaMobile 6L can detect Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy, Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions, Sinus Rhythm with Wide QRS, and Normal Heart Rhythm. It is an AI-powered, portable and smart device that helps you take an ECG test at home with great ease and comfort. Cardiologists can also use KardiaMobile 6L readings to calculate the QT interval, which is a significant risk factor for a variety of medications as well as congenital issues. This portable ECG machine can be carried anywhere to help you monitor your heart at times.