Looking at Heart Health, we are primarily taking a look at your Autonomic Nervous System. This is the part of you that does all of the essential survival mechanisms automatically, that way you don’t have to remind yourself to do things like breathe all day long. This is also the part of you that breaks down into that fight-or-flight mode or the rest-and-digest mode. When we look at vital signs (heart rate, respiration rate, temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation) we are ultimately looking at how well regulated that automatic system is working. Your vitals are a direct correlation of your heart health- for example one of the leading risk factors for a heart attack is high blood pressure. To better understand not only what each vital sign says about your health, but also to understand how to improve each one, keep reading!
Heart Rate
Heart rate is dealing with how fast your heart is pumping each minute. “Normal” ranges are 60-100 beats per minute. However I like to see resting heart rates closer to that 55-75bpm range. If your heart rate is consistently 99 at rest, your autonomic system is working very hard and sends the message that your body is under stressful conditions- which the body should not be under for extended periods of time. This will cause more increased internal stress, ultimately leaving you feeling constantly fatigued.
While heart rate varies with age, I find the bigger determining factor to be activity level. When we improve our cardiovascular fitness or endurance training the heart muscle works better. Consistent physical activity will cause the ventricles of the heart to start pumping more blood with each pump, therefore not needing to beat as many times per minute. This is why so many endurance athletes actually have very low heart rates, but are in good physical health.
Generally with patients we recommend utilizing the Maffetone Method. Dr. Phil Maffetone, chiropractor and researcher, developed this strategy for exercising to improve heart health and overall longevity. Based on this method your Maximum Heart Rate should not exceed the following calculation: 180- Age (for example: someone that is 40 years old should have a Max Heart Rate of 140 during exercise). Offer yourself just 20-30 minutes a day to take a brisk walk, or engage in some type of physical activity that will keep you heart rate active and healthy.
Respiration Rate
Respiration rate is a measure of how many breaths we take in a minute, normal ranging between 12-20. This is an important measurement for determining the acidity of the bloodstream, and also how hard the heart is working to metabolize. When we start hyperventilating or are consistently breathing more than 20 breaths per minute, we start to raise our blood CO2 levels, and lower our blood oxygen. This means that the there’s less metabolized oxygen to give energy to the heart, and the heart has to work harder to do its job. This is why respiration rate is a great indicator of overall heart health, and can predict heart complications such as cardiac arrest. Read more on the research regarding respiration rate monitoring here.
Many mindfulness practices are great at helping to regulate respiration rate. One of my personal favorites is to practice 4-7-8 breathing (count as you breathe: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8).
Temperature
Body temperature is important in telling us when there is illness or infection (hence why we get fevers), but it is also a great indicator of how well the body is resting. When the body receives 5 consecutive hours of sleep, we achieve our basal body temperature, which is when temperature is slightly lower because the physiologic demands aren’t as high during rest. This measurement is influenced by several factors including hormones and pathogens which both travel through the bloodstream, therefore also affecting the heart. The heart then has to fluctuate how hard it is working to try and regulate body heat.
Many women are now using Basal Body Temperature to track their cycles and ovulation, and developing research suggests temperature is also an indicator of functional performance, and lower basal body temperatures are indicators for increased longevity.
Blood pressure
This is one that we think we are familiar with, but aren’t really. Most of us have heard 120/80 is normal but couldn’t actually tell you what either of those numbers mean. The first number is called your systolic blood pressure: this is the pressure in the arteries when the heart muscle contracts. The second number is your diastolic blood pressure: this is the pressure in the arteries when the heart muscle relaxes. Some pressure is needed to push the blood through circulation, which is why you don’t want blood pressure to be too low. However, if blood pressure is too high it usually indicates that there is tension in the arteries likely caused from plaques, stiffness in the arterial walls, or a dysfunction of the circulatory system.
Best ways to reduce excess tension on the arterial walls is through avoiding inflammatory foods (like gluten, corn, soy, dairy, and sugar) and also by engaging in regular exercise to keep the tissues from getting too stiff.
Oxygen Saturation
This is a measurement of how much hemoglobin is bound to oxygen in the systemic bloodstream. This is important because our nerves only need 3 things to survive… appropriate stimulation, fuel, and OXYGEN! Without the oxygen flowing through the bloodstream our neurons will start to become depleted and if they’re left without oxygen for too long they will start to wither and die. If you google Oxygen Saturation Levels it will say that healthy levels are 90% and above. This is far from the truth. If O2 levels are measuring under 96, there is likely symptoms of constant yawning, snoring, or sleep apnea because the body is trying to get more oxygen. Prolonged lower measures of oxygen saturation are also associated with high blood pressure because the body is trying to push more oxygen into the tissues systemically.
A really great way to start getting more oxygen is actually to focus on breathing more through the nose, rather than the mouth (for more info on nose breathing, mouth taping, and resources to naturally increase your oxygen saturation check out this live interview that Dr. Cari did with breathing specialist Marybeth Gangemi here.
I hope this article gave you a better understanding of each vital sign, what it says about your heart health, and how to use the information to increase your wellness and longevity. For more information on hearth health, join me for our free health class on Tuesday, February 27th at 6:30pm. Register Here. As always, we are here to support you on your health journey!
Dr. Naomi Smith, DC