A Healthy Heart Is Not A Metronome, Schaffer et al., Sep, 2014
This article explores the anatomy and physiology of the heart and brain connection. It explains how the heart itself has a complex system of neurons that make up a little brain network. The heart sends information constantly. It also produces hormones and neurotransmitters. It mentions several studies that show that increased Heart Rate Variability, or HRV leads to increased cognitive performance, attention level, motivation and emotional processing.
On Page 7, under the Heading “HRV is a Marker of Disease and Adaptability”, you will learn that low HRV is a strong, independent predictor of future health problems, too. Low HRV is found in anxiety, depression and asthma. In the last paragraph of this heading, you will find that increased HRV leads to increased cognitive performance, resilience and behavioural flexibility.
Page 14 introduces the HeartMath theory that positive emotion, including self-induced positive emotion shifts the whole physiological system into a more coherent mode, that is associated with increased ability to self-regulate and overall wellbeing.