I used to work as a project manager for a high-tech company. High-tech generally meant extremely high levels of stress as well. The company was well aware of the impact of the long hours and heavy workload on the employees. One only had to look around at the plethora of nervous breakdowns, heart attacks, anxiety attacks and other illnesses to get the picture. Instead of “smoke” breaks, employees were taking Prozac breaks!
Whether it was out of concern for our health, or the impact to the bottom line of the business, the company took actions and implemented a number of healthy living initiatives. One of these was a free on-campus yoga class that met twice a week. I signed up immediately. At the time, I was working 14 – 16 hour days and my brain needed a break. Initially, I viewed it simply as an opportunity to get away from my desk at least once a week for a few minutes and hopefully keep my sanity intact. Yoga was a mental health break for me. Despite my selfish motives, I fell in love with yoga. As it turns out, research now indicates that while I was helping my mental stress, I just may have been helping my heart as well.
One of the signs of a healthy heart is heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is the ability of your heart to respond to situational changes (arousal, eating, fight-flight response) and to beat faster or slower depending on the circumstances. The heart is regulated through the autonomic nervous system which uses two different pathways – the sympathetic nervous system (causes heart rate to rise) and the parasympathetic nervous system (cause heart rate to slow). The two systems (sympathetic and parasympathetic) working together are responsible for the ability of your heart to respond with beat-to-beat changes. Heart healthy persons have a high HRV rate while those with an unhealthy, or abnormal heart, will have a lower HRV rate.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology reported that the HRV rate for persons who engage in yoga is higher than the HRV rate of persons who do not practice yoga. The test group consisted of 84 participants between the ages of 18 and 48 years of age. All participants were male. The effect of yoga on the HRV rate of women was not evaluated in this study. Of the 84 participants, 42 did not practice yoga of any kind. The remaining 42 participants were experienced practitioners and regularly engaged in yoga.
During the course of the study, all participants were given electrocardiograms (EKGs). The researchers then examined the EKGs in order to evaluate and analyze the HRV spectra of the participants. It was concluded that yoga practitioners had better parasympathetic control than non-yoga practitioners. Researchers stated that yoga practitioners had better “autonomic control over heart rate” which was indicative of a healthy heart.
Yoga is famous for a number of health benefits such as improving balance, flexibility, strength, posture, stress reduction, concentration and breathing (to name a few). While not conclusive evidence, the results of the study suggest that heart health is improved by yoga as a result of the breathing exercises, meditation, stretching and relaxation techniques utilized by yoga practitioners.
So the next time you walk into a yoga class, not only are you gaining flexibility, improving balance, and lowering your stress level, you just may be improving your heart health as well.
Until next time, here’s wishing you a healthy heart.
Note: For more information on heart health related issues, please visit other “A Woman’s Heart” articles by this author.
(Disclaimer: I am not a physician and nothing in this article should be construed as giving medical advice. As with any medical decision, please consult your physician.)
Sources:
Yoga Boosts Heart Health, New Research Finds, Science Daily, 25 Nov 2009,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121216.htm
Yoga Boosts Heart Health, The Times of India, 09 Nov 2009, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/fitness/Yoga-boosts-heart-health/articleshow/5218473.cms
Paddock, Catharine, Yoga Linked to Healthy Heart, Medical News Today, 10 Nov 2009, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170356.php