THE HEART-BRAIN CONNECTION
February is Heart Month and many of us are familiar with the benefits of good nutrition and daily movement as heart healthy practices. Be encouraged to continue with your focus on these areas as great ways to improve your heart health! Interestingly, we don’t always consider other wellness areas that can impact our heart health.
We are excited to share that research has revealed a significant connection between the heart and the brain. In fact, researchers have concluded that the heart-brain connection impacts our overall health and well-being in astonishing ways. We have often viewed the brain as the command center of the body. New evidence suggests that the heart actually sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. Why is this so important? This heart-brain connection is influencing emotional processing and cognitive abilities such as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving.
During a stressful workday, have you ever experienced a shift in your mood and ability to have clear thoughts, learn, remember and make clear decisions? Have you noticed a change in your heart rhythm and pulse during these times? If you answered yes, you have experienced the correlation between heart activity and emotional states. When experiencing stress or other negative emotions, the heart rhythm can become disordered, sending signals that may inhibit positive cognitive function.
We offer that deep breathing and practicing an attitude of gratitude during your workday may be a solution to supporting your heart and brain for overall health and well-being. Consider bringing deep breaths into your day to help regulate your heart rhythm during times of stress, simply taking 4 deep breaths in through your nose and exhaling out of your mouth while counting to four, continuing this pattern for at least 4 full breaths. This deep breath pattern is known as square breathing and can be very effective.
Bringing awareness to the things we are grateful for in our lives is an added benefit to supporting our heart. Gratitude has been shown to improve the area of the brain related to learning and decision making. Consider taking a few minutes to write down 3-5 things that you are grateful for in your life; even if it’s not work related, gratitude will still boost your workday mood! The amazing thing about deep breathing and gratitude is that you can take it anywhere and you can practice both often. Focusing on simple exercises such as these can have tremendous benefits for the heart-brain connection and lasting effects on your overall wellness.
Looking for more ways to support your teams? Look no further! We’re here to support you with an integrative approach to creating a culture of health and happiness! Just drop us a line for your free workplace wellness strategy session!
Author: Katy Tombaugh