High blood pressure is usually associated with familiar advice: exercise more, eat better, cut back on salt and take medication when prescribed. But researchers are finding that what happens in the mind may also have a measurable effect on the heart.
A new review of 18 randomized controlled trials found that mindfulness, gratitude exercises and optimism training were associated with improvements in blood pressure, inflammation and other cardiovascular risk factors. Some of the changes appeared within six to 12 weeks, with eight-week mindfulness programs showing improvements in systolic blood pressure among certain groups.
