How Mental Health Impacts Your Heart: New Research Reveals Critical Links Between Stress and Cardiovascular Health

Another reason why society should be more concerned with mental health is its direct impact on cardiovascular health, including variations in heart rate and blood pressure, according to research from the University of South Australia.

A recent study published in BioMedical Engineering links mental disorders to blood pressure fluctuations, which may harm cardiovascular health and cause organ damage.

Dr. Renly Lim, a researcher from UniSA, and colleagues from Malaysian universities have found conclusive evidence that mental illness disrupts autonomic processes in the body, such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature.

“We reviewed 12 studies on people with anxiety, depression and panic disorders and found that, regardless of age, mental illness is significantly associated with greater blood pressure variations during the day,” explains Dr. Lim.

Additionally, we discovered that the heart rate of mentally unwell individuals did not respond appropriately to outside stimuli.

“A healthy heart does not beat like a metronome, despite what many people believe. Rather, it ought to adapt to endure psychological and environmental difficulties. In actuality, a heart rate that varies frequently indicates excellent health.”

How Reduced Heart Rate Variation Affects Cardiovascular Health: Insights from Recent Research

People with mental illnesses often have reduced HRV, indicating a poor stress response that worsens ongoing stress effects.

HRV, or heart rate variability, is a more complicated metric that measures the interval between two heartbeats and should vary in response to external stressors. Heart rate, or the number of times a heart beats in a minute, is typically constant.

“A high heart rate variation is what we want, not a heart rate that fluctuates all the time. This can be attained by exercise, a balanced diet, less stress, and mental well-being.”

Low HRV occurs during fight-or-flight mode, often seen in chronic illnesses like heart and mental health issues, due to stress.

Large blood pressure variations are undesirable; systolic pressure should drop 10–20% at night to allow the heart to rest. Researchers discovered that individuals with mental health disorders do not experience a significant reduction in blood pressure during night.

Fewer than ten percent of dipping episodes are due to autonomic dysfunction, poor sleep, and irregular circadian rhythms. Dr. Lim emphasizes the need to focus more on the physical impacts of mental illness, as revealed by the study.

“It is a significant global burden that impacts one billion individuals, or between 11 and 18% of the global population. Early therapy intervention is crucial since mental illness can worsen the regulation of blood pressure and the heart.”

The University of Malaya, University of South Australia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman conducted the research.