Author: Dr. Bryce Hendy, DC, DNCert
When most people talk or think about heart health, they tend to go to blood pressure, heart rate, nutrition and exercise. While these are very important and necessary for overall good heart health, there is another factor that we should consider. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and its role in your heart health.
The ANS controls the automatic functions of our body, such as heart rate, breathing, digestion and blood vessel diameter. When this system is out of balance or disregulated, this can affect our heart health.
The ANS is part of our overall nervous system; it is split into two branches of its own. There is the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight):
- Activated when you are scared, stressed or physically active
- Increases heart rate and raises blood pressure
- Pumps more blood to muscles and increases adrenaline release
Parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest):
- Helps the body relax, recover and conserve energy
- Slows heart rate and lowers blood pressure
- Aids in digestion
- Promotes healing and restoration
A healthy heart will rely on a balance between the two systems. The ANS can affect heart health in a few ways. Heart rate and heart rate variability, blood pressure regulation and stress and cardiac risk.
Heart Rate and heart rate variability (HRV) are not static, but are changing throughout the day and this is controlled by the ANS. HRV with slight variable changes is considered a good indication of a healthy and balanced ANS. When we have a high HRV, this indicates a strong parasympathetic function, better adaptability and improved cardiovascular health. A low HRV can indicate chronic stress, overworked sympathetic nervous system and increased risk of heart disease. There are great products on the market that can help you track your HRV including the oura ring and whoop bands.
The ANS helps to control the tightening and relaxation of our blood vessels. When our sympathetic system is constantly activated due to stress, lack of sleep or lifestyle choices, this can: keep our blood pressure elevated; contribute to hypertension; and increase strain on the heart.
Chronic stress can overwhelm our ANS and keep the sympathetic system in overdrive. Over time, this can lead to: increased inflammation; higher risk of arrhythmias; coronary artery disease and increased risk of heart attacks.
Here are some signs to watch for to indicate your ANS may be out of balance:
- High resting heart rate
- Low HRV
- Trouble sleeping
- Anxiety or feeling wired and tired
- Fluctuating blood pressure
These signs do not diagnose anything, but are simply things to be aware of and on the look out for.
We have some great treatments and ways to help manage your ANS at Acacia. We can help with activity planning and exercise programs; help optimize sleep; provide meditation and breath work programs; nutrition recommendations and blood work to help further diagnose and identify underlying issues to help with heart health.
