Beware! Anxiety Could Harm Your Heart Health: 6 Best Ways To Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety and depression are extremely common in today's world

Anxiety and depression have been increasingly common in today's world; and so is the case with heart diseases. But ever wondered if these two conditions are related to each other or not? According to a new study, anxiety and depression symptoms prevail in one-third patients dealing with heart failure, progressive heart diseases and other related outcomes. This study, published in the journal Harvard Review of Psychiatry, revealed that they have evidence to prove that high rates of depression and anxiety are found in patients dealing with heart failure. Heart failure is a chronic condition wherein the heart fails to pump enough blood resulting in symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath. Part studies have also linked such psychiatric disorders to worse outcomes in heart failure patients. For this, they conducted a research to determine the actual relationship between anxiety, depression and heart failure. Researchers conclusively found that anxiety is quite prevalent in heart failure patients and that their psychological and physical behaviours contributed to this outcome. 30% patients had clinically significant number of anxiety symptoms. To make matters worse, depression and anxiety further make it difficult for heart failure patients to follow medical recommendations like healthy diet and exercise.

Also read: Healthy Heart: 7 Tips You Must Follow Every Day For A Healthy Heart

Anxiety is a condition which does not appear all of a sudden and disappears the same way. It is something which grows on you over a period of time and similarly, it takes quite some effort to get rid of anxiety. You need to make lifestyle alterations and start focusing on other factors which do not give you stress. Addressing anxiety as a condition is a time-taking process. So for starters, you can try some simple techniques to find relief from anxiety symptoms.

Here are 6 simple ways you which can help you reduce anxiety symptoms.

1. Exercise

Exercise includes going for a morning walk, jog, run, cycling, yoga or even hitting the gym. Exercise has a very important role to play when it comes to both physical and mental health of an individual. Movements promote blood flow to every part of the body. It improves neurotransmitter production and function, thereby reducing anxiety symptoms. If practiced regularly, exercise can be more helpful than medication for reducing anxiety symptoms.

2. Sleep

Anxiety stops you from sleeping peacefully and lack of sleep makes anxiety worse. These two conditions feed into each other and make things worse for you. Therefore, in order to beat those anxiety symptoms, we recommend you to try to take minimum 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Sound sleep has positive effects on your physical and mental well-being.

Also read: Depression: 8 Early Signs And Symptoms

3. Get a massage

Pain in different parts of the body can also give you a great deal of stress. Therefore, in order to beat anxiety symptoms which stem from such stress, get a deep tissue massage. Deep tissue massages are meant for relaxing your body. So when your body is relaxed, your mind feels calm too.

4. Drink a cup of herbal tea

Herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, and rose teas have a positive effect on your mind. They help in reducing anxiety symptoms significantly. The exotic flavours of such beverages have a soothing effect on your body and mind and help you curb stress and anxiety symptoms easily. Some of these teas are free of caffeine. Therefore, they improve the quality of your sleep and help you reduce anxiety symptoms significantly.

Also read: Turmeric Tea: Weight Loss + 6 Surprising Health Benefits You Must Know

5. Do something you enjoy

If you enjoy reading a book, read one. If you enjoy painting, take your paint brushes out and paint whatever you like. If you like going out and meeting your loved ones, go. Do something you enjoy and it will help you take your mind off anxiety, thereby reducing anxiety symptoms. Sometimes, you need to engage in activities which make you happy. This helps you reduce anxiety symptoms significantly.

6. Accept your anxieties

It is not easy for a person to admit that he or she is anxious. However, acceptance can make things a lot easier for you. Fighting the idea of anxiety in your mind is one of the major triggers of that condition. You start obsessing over the idea of anxieties and that makes things tough on you to quite an extent. It can make you more anxious and may even land you in depression. Therefore, in order to reduce those anxiety symptoms, you need to accept that you are anxious and then deal with it accordingly.

Also read: If You Have These Personality Traits, You Are Most Likely To Suffer From Anxiety

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.