When we talk about naturally improving heart health, the conversation usually goes straight to food, exercise, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. And while all of those things can be important, there is another part of the picture that I believe deserves far more attention, particularly for those who are constantly juggling work, family, relationships, finances, responsibilities and everyone else’s needs.
Yes – it’s stress.
Not the occasional stressful day when something goes wrong and you have to deal with it. I’m talking about the kind of stress that gradually becomes your normal. You wake up thinking about everything that needs to be done, rush from one responsibility to another, eat while answering emails, keep your phone beside you all day and then lie awake at night thinking about tomorrow. Eventually, being permanently switched on can start to feel like simply being productive, however your body doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
Your heart feels your stress
Your stress response is actually an incredibly intelligent survival mechanism. When your brain perceives a threat or demand, your body prepares you to respond by changing heart rate, breathing, blood flow, muscle tension and a whole range of other physiological processes. That response is useful when you genuinely need to act, however the problem comes when your body rarely gets the opportunity to switch out of that state and properly recover.
Chronic stress can affect far more than how you feel emotionally. It can influence sleep, blood pressure, behaviour, inflammation and the way your nervous system regulates your cardiovascular system.
This is the reason it’s worth considering stress management as being more than some fluffy extra that you get around to once you’ve sorted everything else out. If we’re talking about creating a healthier heart and a healthier body naturally, helping your nervous system move regularly between activation and recovery is part of the picture.
And perhaps the most important thing to understand is that reducing stress doesn’t mean creating a completely stress-free life.
That’s impossible.
Life will always throw challenges at us.
The goal is to become better at recovering from those challenges rather than remaining stuck in a state of constant activation.
Start with your breathing
As you may already know, one of the simplest tools we have available is something we’re all doing right now without even thinking about it – breathing.
When we’re under pressure, our breathing can become faster, shallower and more restricted without us even noticing. Taking a few minutes to deliberately slow your breathing can create a very different physiological experience. You don’t need an elaborate breathing technique or a special app – simply breathe gently through your nose, allowing the breath to become slower and more relaxed, with a slightly longer, softer exhalation.
It can be useful to practice this for two or three minutes when you notice yourself becoming tense. You might do it before an important meeting, after a difficult conversation, sitting in the car before going into the supermarket, or when you get into bed and realise your brain is still racing. The point isn’t that three minutes of breathing somehow fixes everything. The value is in repeatedly giving your body the experience of moving from tension towards calm.
Over time, those small moments can become incredibly valuable because you’re practising recovery rather than waiting until you’re completely exhausted before allowing yourself to stop.
Build recovery into your day
One of the biggest mistakes I see for many of us is attempting to manage stress by adding another ten things to an already overflowing schedule. Another meditation app, another wellness routine, another challenge, another thing we have to remember to do perfectly.
Sometimes the answer is actually to do less.
Creating small pockets of time during the day where you aren’t consuming information, answering questions, solving problems or thinking about what comes next, can be gold.
Others might include going outside for a few minutes without your phone.
Sitting in the sunshine.
Taking a gentle walk and leaving the ear buds at home.
Having a proper conversation with someone you love without simultaneously checking messages.
Spendinga few minutes in the garden.
Listening to music.
Doing something that makes you laugh.
These things can sound almost too simple, particularly in a culture that tends to equate health with expensive programmes, complicated protocols and impressive-looking routines. However your nervous system doesn’t care how sophisticated your wellness routine looks on Instagram. It responds to the actual signals you’re giving your body.
Don’t underestimate sleep
If you want to support your heart naturally, sleep needs to be much more than an afterthought.
When you’re continually stressed and sleeping poorly, you can find yourself caught in a frustrating cycle.
You’re tired, so everything feels harder.
Because everything feels harder, you become more reactive to the next challenge.
Then you go to bed exhausted however mentally wired, sleep poorly again and wake up already feeling behind.
Rather than treating sleep as whatever time is left after you’ve finished everything else, start viewing it as part of your recovery system. A consistent bedtime, natural morning light, less stimulation in the evening and a period of calm before bed can all help create a better transition from the demands of the day into rest.
It’s worth being mindful of the trap of thinking you have to earn your rest.
You don’t.
Rest isn’t laziness.
Your body needs periods of recovery just as much as it needs movement and challenge.
Listen to what your body is telling you
Your body is constantly communicating with you, however we’re often so busy pushing through that we stop listening.
A tight jaw, tense shoulders, shallow breathing, digestive discomfort, restless sleep, feeling exhausted yet wired, or noticing that your heart feels different when you’re under pressure can all be useful information. That doesn’t mean every physical sensation is caused by stress, and persistent or concerning symptoms must always be investigated, however it does mean we can become much more curious about the signals our bodies are sending.
Perhaps replace asking, ‘how can I push through this?’ with ‘what is my body asking for right now?’
Maybe movement could be useful.
Perhaps you need food.
How about some sunlight and fresh air.
A conversation with someone could be useful.
What about stopping working and going to bed.
Sometimes the most health-promoting thing you can do isn’t another intervention.
It’s paying attention.
Your heart needs recovery too
We often celebrate the things that challenge the body. We celebrate getting stronger, exercising harder, achieving more and pushing ourselves beyond what we thought was possible. These things can absolutely have their place, although the body also needs recovery.
Research is beginning to show just how relevant this balance may be for cardiovascular health. 1
Heart health not simply being about doing more can be a handy reminder.
In reality, it’s about creating the conditions in which your body can adapt, repair and recover.
So rather than asking yourself, ‘what else should I be doing for my heart?’ perhaps ask a different question, for example -‘what can I stop doing that will give my body a little more space to recover?’
Because sometimes the next step towards better heart health isn’t another task on your list.
Sometimes it’s taking a breath, stepping outside, putting the phone down, going to bed a little earlier and remembering that your body has been working incredibly hard for you all day.
And it deserves a chance to recover.
See you on this week’s #AlivewithFi 🙂
Fi Jamieson-Folland D.O., I.N.H.C., is The LifeStyle Aligner. She’s an experienced practitioner since 1992 in Europe, Asia and New Zealand as a qualified Osteopath, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, speaker, educator, writer, certified raw vegan gluten-free chef, and Health Brand Ambassador.
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1 A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of stress-management interventions in adults with cardiovascular disease found a beneficial effect on vagally mediated heart-rate variability, suggesting that stress-management approaches may influence the autonomic regulation of the heart –