Mental well-being and a healthy heart

Spend more time with your furry friend (read: pet), engage in moderate physical activity, and try to get restful sleep. are, among other things, the recommendations of cardiologists of the American Heart Association on improve mental health and prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease over time.

At the last meeting of this scientific society, held in Philadelphia, two independent studies were presented in which, involving several thousand people, it was demonstrated that Anxiety and depression contributed to the occurrence of myocardial infarctions, and stress contributed to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries.

Consequently, American doctors emphasize that mental well-being is important for heart and brain health.

Most cardiologists and psychiatrists agree that the practice of mindfulness-based interventions such as meditation or cognitive behavioral therapy may help reduce anxiety, perceived stress and depression, and have a positive effect on disease and cardiovascular risk.

positive mental health It is also associated with beneficial behaviors such as quitting smoking, increasing physical activity, eating a heart-healthy diet, increasing medication adherence, and getting regular clinical exams, among others.

After all, as Professor Michelle Albert of the University of California, San Francisco says, “well-being is more than just the absence of disease. It is an active process towards a healthier, happier and fuller life.