Caring for your heart on Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine ’s Day to all you wonderful readers! And what better way to celebrate this Valentine ’s Day than to care for our hearts? This powerful,  pumping organ is vital for not only our wellness but survival. Therefore, it is important to understand all the factors that may impact your own heart. From diet to exercise, daily activities have a way of helping you feel better, inside and out. But as women, we may not necessarily have time for ourselves. This “always on the run” mentality stems from the double burden phenomenon—or the stress caused by the pressure to succeed in professional and household settings.  Stressors that women often face are both physical and emotional, often causing headaches, crying spells or irritability.

A recent study conducted by Dr. Nieca Goldberg evaluated 678 individuals and how their coronary artery disease is impacted by stress (in this case, public speaking). Coronary artery disease is essentially the narrowing of arteries caused by plaques along the walls. The study revealed that for 15% of the patients with stressed-induced ischemia (low blood flow), the cause differed between genders. For men, ischemia was caused by a rise in blood pressure and heart rate.  In contrast, for women, their small blood vessels impaired flow by constricting. Therefore, women suffer from microvascular dysfunction. Moreover, it appears as though stress-related ischemia is often asymptomatic until it isn’t anymore. This means that many patients who suffer from this condition are unaware of it until it’s too late.

However, it’s not all bad news. Stress is something that everyone deals with, but it’s how we manage it that affects our health. Physical activity and regular exercise can help keep blood vessels adequately dilated, combating the impact of stress.  Moreover, it is important to identify factors in our lives that cause us the most stress and find healthy outlets with meditation, spending time with family, or going on a walk.  A healthy and happy heart begins with little things that we can do daily. So despite your ever hectic schedules, find time for yourself!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Meghana Pisupati

IHS 2018