Heart disease is responsible for a quarter of all deaths in the United States.
As that statistic shows, it continues to be a devastatingly common disease, and there’s an important need for health health training.
Many of the leading causes and risk factors of heart disease are well known, including;
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Sedentary lifestyle
All of these are physical factors, but what often goes unmentioned is the relationship between heart disease and mental illness. In fact, depression has been shown to be as big of a risk factor for heart disease as the list above.
In this article, I will discuss some of the ways that mental illness can affect heart health and lead to unhealthy habits or behaviors.
Mental illness and unhealthy behaviors
Some of the most common mental health disorders have been linked to behaviors that are detrimental to cardiovascular training.
According to the CDC, ‘This is because people who are suffering from a mental health disorder may have fewer healthy coping strategies for stressful situations.’
Conditions such as depression and anxiety are most commonly linked to the adoption of unhealthy habits, such as:
- Smoking – Leads to narrowing of the arterial walls, arterial blockage and damage to the blood vessels, in addition to many other illnesses.
- Excessive alcohol consumption – Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to high blood pressure and damage the heart itself.
- Sugar consumption – Sugar has no place in a heart healthy diet and can lead to a range of chronic illnesses, diabetes and heart disease included.
- Excessive caffeine consumption – Excessive caffeine can cause major disturbances in the way the heart functions.
- Comfort eating – Eating unhealthy foods like chips and chocolate in an attempt to improve mood
These habits are adopted for their mood-altering effects (often subconsciously), and while they may make people feel better in the short term, in the long term they wreak havoc to your body. All of these habits should be avoided if you are looking to increase heart health.
Mental illness and heart disease
As well as their association with the adoption of unhealthy habits, mental health disorders can also directly increase the risk of heart disease.
This impact is seen in a number of ways, and in some specific conditions:
Physiological impact
A number of the most common mental health disorders can lead to changes in the way the body behaves when they are experienced for an extended period of time. Conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD are directly linked to heart disease because many of the physiological effects they cause relate to the behavior of the heart and cardiovascular system.
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Reduced blood flow
- Heightened cortisol
All of these physiological changes cause a significant increase in the risk of heart-related illness and demonstrate the increased importance of heart disease prevention for people suffering from any of these conditions.
Co-occurring addiction disorder
A co-occurring disorder is when someone suffers from both an addiction disorder and a mental health disorder. Figures from 2018 found more than 9 million Americans were suffering with them.
Suffering with both forms of conditions at the same time leads to a vicious cycle with the two conditions aggravating one another. The most common link between addiction and mental health conditions is with depression and alcohol abuse, and treatment for most of the conditions center around:
- Psychotherapy
- Group therapy
- Recovery meetings
- Complimentary activities
All of these focus on addressing the psychological impact of the addiction.
Compulsive eating disorder
Compulsive eating disorder is when people feel compelled to eat regardless of whether or not they’re hungry, and continue to eat even after they’ve had enough. This disorder is widespread and affects even more people than anorexia or bulimia.
Given the importance of a healthy diet when trying to improve cardiovascular health, it should be clear that a condition that manifests in unhealthy eating habits can have a hugely negative impact and should be addressed to increase heart health.
Medication
There is evidence of links between some medication used to treat mental health disorders and an increased risk of heart disease. This is most commonly shown with antipsychotic medications, which have been associated with:
- Obesity
- Insulin resistance
- Diabetes
- Heart attacks
Of course, these medications are incredibly valuable in treating these conditions and should be taken if prescribed. However, as they can increase the risk of heart disease, it’s especially important to consider cardiovascular training if you take them.
How metabolic health can impact mental health
We have discussed the impact of mental health conditions on a person’s heart disease risk, but this impact is not a one-way street.
Unhealthy habits have also been shown to have an impact on causing mental health conditions, such as the association between alcoholism and depression.
One area that has started to be looked at recently is the association between diet and the development of mental health conditions. According to this study, ‘Healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with better mental health than “unhealthy” eating patterns, such as the Western diet.’
Given the relationship between diet and metabolic health, and the similarities between symptoms of mental illness and poor metabolic health, such as lethargy, brain fog, and lack of motivation, we can begin to see the association between the two and the ways in which one can cause or aggravate the other.
This is why understanding your health is the first step in working to increase heart health and if you want to improve your metabolic health, I recommend this free metabolic health quiz to learn what your current status is and what changes you should make to improve heart health.