{"id":2000124557,"date":"2026-09-03T20:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000124557"},"modified":"2026-09-03T19:51:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T17:51:29","slug":"mindfulness-may-improve-heart-health-within-eight-weeks-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/mindfulness-may-improve-heart-health-within-eight-weeks-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness may improve heart health within eight weeks, study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reviewed 18 randomized controlled trials examining positive psychology and mindfulness programmes designed to improve mental and physical health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programmes included activities such as mindfulness exercises, gratitude journaling, optimism training and motivational sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studies involved adults who already had an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, including people with uncontrolled high blood pressure and heart failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most programmes lasted between six and 12 weeks and combined regular sessions with activities participants completed at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers found that programmes involving frequent practice and regular reinforcement produced the most consistent improvements in cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some groups, eight weeks of mindfulness-based programmes were associated with reductions in systolic blood pressure and inflammation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One 12-week digital programme based on spirituality recorded a reduction of 7.6 points in systolic blood pressure measured with a standard cuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research also showed that some programmes encouraged healthier behaviours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An eight-week WhatsApp-based programme combined weekly sessions with daily activities designed to encourage participants to exercise more, improve their diets and take their medications as prescribed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another programme using motivational interviewing increased participants’ physical activity by about 1,800 steps per day while also improving medication adherence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers said the benefits appeared strongest when participants practised these techniques daily and received weekly reinforcement over an eight to 12-week period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, they noted that continued support may be necessary to maintain behavioural changes over the longer term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings highlight a growing connection between psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous research has linked characteristics such as optimism, gratitude and positive emotions with healthier hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosalba Hernandez, who led the research team, said the findings suggest that positive psychology approaches could become an additional tool for cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers also emphasized the importance of addressing mental and behavioural health as part of heart care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They suggested that routine screening and access to behavioural interventions could help improve cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study does not suggest that mindfulness or positive thinking should replace medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, researchers see these practices as potential additions to existing approaches for preventing and managing cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings provide further evidence that mental well-being and physical health are closely connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple practices such as mindfulness, gratitude and optimism could offer an accessible way to support heart health, particularly when they are practiced consistently and combined with healthy lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Researchers found that mindfulness, gratitude and optimism programmes may improve blood pressure and other measures of cardiovascular health within eight to 12 weeks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Practising mindfulness, gratitude and optimism may improve blood pressure and other measures of heart health within just eight to 12 weeks, according to a new review of scientific studies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000124560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000124557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":2000122457,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-12.00.00-PM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 12.00.00 PM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":2000122457,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-12.00.00-PM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 12.00.00 PM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000124560,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/blood-pressure-measurement-heart-cardiology.webp","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/webp","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/blood-pressure-measurement-heart-cardiology.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/blood-pressure-measurement-heart-cardiology.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/blood-pressure-measurement-heart-cardiology.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/blood-pressure-measurement-heart-cardiology.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/blood-pressure-measurement-heart-cardiology.webp","width":1920,"height":1080}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000124557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000124557"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000124557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000124561,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000124557\/revisions\/2000124561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000124560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000124557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000124557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000124557"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000124557"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000124557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}