The Heart-Yoga Connection
Heart Health and Physical Activity
Heart-rate-raising exercise isn't the only type of physical activity that can help you avoid or manage heart disease. Yoga is a relaxing workout that is also beneficial to the heart.
Hugh Calkins, M.D., director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Johns Hopkins, states, "A significant number of studies suggest that yoga enhances many areas of cardiovascular health." "In the last five years or so, there has been a significant shift in the number of cardiologists and other specialists who recognize that these benefits are real."
Yoga is a mind-body activity in which participants move through a sequence of body positions and breathing exercises to enhance strength, flexibility, balance, and relaxation. Hundreds of various styles, or practices, such as hatha, anusara, ashtanga, and others, focus on different aspects of yoga, such as toning, strength training, or meditation.
Yoga as a Stress Reduction Technique
Yoga's capacity to relax the body and mind is one of its most obvious heart benefits. Emotional stress can trigger a chain reaction of bodily reactions, including the production of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which restrict vessels and raise blood pressure. Yoga's deep breathing and mental focus might help to relieve tension.
Following a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, bypass surgery, or a diagnosis of heart disease, anxiety and despair are prevalent. Yoga can help you manage stress as part of a larger therapeutic approach.
Yoga as a Cardiovascular Booster
Yoga can help lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, and heart rate in addition to relieving stress, making it an effective lifestyle intervention. In one study, middle-aged adults with metabolic syndrome who practiced yoga for three months saw improvements in blood measures and waist circumference, a predictor for heart disease.
Slow-paced yoga courses twice a week reduced the incidence of atrial fibrillation episodes in patients with the illness, according to another study. Patients with heart failure who participated in an eight-week yoga program improved their exercise capacity and quality of life, according to another study. They also had reduced amounts of inflammatory indicators in their blood, which relates to heart disease.
Yoga as a Quit Smoking Aid
According to some study, yoga could be an effective strategy for helping smokers quit. One of the most significant risk factors for heart disease is smoking.
Yoga as a Form of Exercise
Yoga can help with flexibility, muscle strength, and balance, among other things. You shouldn't consider the time you spend performing it as part of your recommended weekly total for moderate to strenuous physical activity because it isn't an aerobic workout that elevates your heart rate.
Definitions
Arteries (are-te-rease): The blood arteries that transport oxygen-rich blood from your heart to all parts of your body. Arteries have the appearance of slender tubes or hoses. The walls are made up of a strong outer layer, a muscle-filled middle layer, and a smooth interior wall that allows for easy blood flow. To aid blood flow, the muscular layer stretches and contracts.
The primary energy source for your body's cells is blood glucose, also known as blood sugar. The longer you go without eating, the lower your blood glucose levels become. The amount of glucose in your blood is measured by your blood glucose level. Fasting blood glucose levels should be between 70 and 100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter of blood).
Cortisol (kor-tuh-sol) is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands on top of the kidneys create this hormone, which is implicated in the stress response. It rises in the mornings, causing you to wake up, and it also rises during times of stress. Cortisol levels can be raised by sleep deprivation, caffeine, and alcohol. Low immunity, weight gain, and other health issues have been related to chronically elevated levels.
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