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0:02
[music]
0:05
A heart and a soul, a [music] broken heart, a racing heart. No other organ inspires as many songs, poems, or letters. Our hearts react to what is happening at the moment and to our emotions. [music] When we're excited, our heart beats faster. When we fall in love, it flutters. My heart is very much where I feel love. It beats faster when I'm excited. I honestly don't know if that's healthy or not. Good question. But our heart doesn't just express our feelings. It literally keeps us alive.
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>> When we are afraid or in an emergency situation, our heart automatically starts beating faster and harder so we can respond faster and get out of the situation. [music]
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If we don't listen to our heart and take care of it, it can be dangerous in the long run. [music] How can we know if our heart is at risk? And how do the warning signs differ between women and men? [music]
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[music]
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The heart begins to beat roughly 21 to 28 days after conception and from then on it beats throughout our entire lives until we die.
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My name is Dr. Konita Ruiz Monet. I'm a cardiologist at the ports and hospital [clears throat] in Cologne where I lead the women's cardiovascular medicine center.
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The heart is our most critical organ. It pumps oxygen and energy throughout the entire body to every single cell.
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What's remarkable about the heart is that it works very precisely, tirelessly like clockwork. >> [music]
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>> I usually notice my heart more during intense sports. I assume that's good.
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We've been dancing since we were three, more than 20 years. [music] Dancing always feels so freeing. You always have this flow moment. When you're dancing and not thinking about anything else, you feel freer than you ever have before. No worries at all. >> Hi, I'm Naomi and I'm 29. >> I'm Joelle, also 29. I live with my twin sister in Berlin. >> We live in Berlin. [music]
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We both work in social media as freelance content creators. We write mostly about our lifestyle, living together as twins here in Berlin, in a queer household, as dancers, you with your art.
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But the most important thing is living as identical twins and not taking ourselves too seriously. [music]
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>> I've never really thought much about my heart health. I think I've never had any symptoms or never noticed any problems with my heart.
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>> [music] >> The heart is a fist-sized muscle that works around the clock to pump blood through the body. It consists of four chambers, and its rhythmic beating delivers oxygen and nutrients to the organs and flushes out waste [music] products. At rest, an adult's heart beats [music] about 60 to 80 times per minute. Each beat is made up of a systolic or contracting phase and a diastolic or relaxing phase. [music]
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Young people can develop heart disease too, but a young person can tolerate certain heart conditions for quite a long time and can therefore compensate for them. Often they only notice the condition later. >> Good morning. Hello. >> This is exciting. Today we'll have all the tests and find out how our hearts are really doing. [laughter]
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>> I think we both expect the tests to show that our hearts are healthy. We don't feel like anything is wrong. It would be really awful if something did come up. >> Of course, it would be good to find out, but we don't expect that to happen.
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>> Good morning. I'm Dr. Ruiz Monet. Nice to meet you. I'm glad you're here. [music]
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>> When I'm cycling, I only feel myself. I only listen to my body. As soon as I'm on my bike, I forget everything else. >> I don't know what I would do without my bike. [laughter] [gasps] >> I don't even want to think about it. [laughter] >> My name is Faruchio Labita and I'm 46. 8 years ago when I was 38, I had a heart attack.
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>> [snorts]
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>> cross country. I have a cross country bike, two mountain bikes, a dirt bike, and two commuter bikes that I ride to work. plus my gravel bike.
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I'm preparing for a competition called Seven Serpents. It's an off-road long-d distanceance race. The route starts in Ljubljana, Slovenia, [music] goes through Croatia, then from Croatia northwards over the islands back to Italy and ends in Triest. [music]
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The event starts in about 2 months. I'll have to train a bit more before then.
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I had these sorts of goals eight years ago, but hadn't known my risks. >> Before my heart attack, I spent most of my time working, sometimes 60 to 70 hours a week. I started smoking when I was 30. The main reason I did is that my first marriage broke up and I was very depressed. So I started smoking.
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When we smoke or get too little exercise or eat an unhealthy diet, it puts great strain on our heart. Over time, fat and cholesterol can build up as plaque inside the coronary arteries. [music] The blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen. The heart then has to work harder to pump blood through the vessels. [music] The constricted arteries reduce the oxygen supply to the heart muscle. [music] A heart attack is often caused by these plaque deposits rupturing, forming a
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clot, which completely [music] blocks the coronary artery. As [music] a result, the heart muscle in this area is starved of oxygen. Without rapid treatment, the heart tissue is damaged beyond [music] repair. >> The first time I felt anything was after I'd been at the gym with a friend.
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[music] It felt like I couldn't breathe, as if someone was continually pressing down on my chest.
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First I lay down. Then for the next two hours it was a constant roller coaster of emotions, pain, and wondering what was happening.
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[music] When my wife saw me lying there suffering, she naturally said we had to get to the hospital right away to have me checked out.
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The diagnosis was that I had suffered a silent heart attack. >> They put three stances in to clear the arteries which were 80% blocked.
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I can't really describe it, but I felt very frail and vulnerable.
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Um, I didn't know what the future had in store for me.
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Silent heart attack symptoms are not very obvious, so they are not often noticed. That's why it's called silent. But as soon as the words heart attack cross your mind, you should get checked. Even if you're not sure, call emergency services or see a doctor. [music]
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If someone is having a heart attack, one mistake is to do nothing at first. I'm Selen Kian. I'm studying medicine and have been a paramedic for 6 and a half years. Every day in emergency services is different. And I think that's why you either love this job or hate it because you don't know whether you're going to be called to perform CPR or treat an ingrown toenail.
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If you suspect someone is having a heart attack, the basic rules are to remove any tight clothing or ties so they can breathe easily, lay them down with their upper body raised, and open a window to let in fresh air. That always helps and calms the patient. [music]
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If the patient's heart stops due to a heart attack, it is very important to first speak to them loudly and clearly. Grab them by the shoulders and shout.
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If they don't respond, step two is to check their breathing. Watch for 10 seconds to see if their chest is rising and falling or if their nostrils are moving. If not, call the emergency services right away and start chest compressions. Place your hands on their chest. Make sure their arms are out straight and then press down 30 times about 5 to 6 cm 100 times per minute.
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Press to the rhythm of staying alive. Staying alive singha staying alive staying alive. [music]
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>> We get more calls for men having what is later diagnosed as a heart attack. In my experience I would say twoth3s are men and onethird are women. Heart attacks in men often show the classically known symptoms. Severe heavy pain in the chest that radiates to the arm or jaw. These symptoms are unmistakable and quickly set off alarm bells. In women, heart attack symptoms are often much less clear. They may [music] complain of nausea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, or
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dizziness. Symptoms that are often confused with stress or other illnesses. chest pain is less common and may be diffuse or only mild.
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>> And then her partner might suggest she lie down and sleep a bit and then maybe she will feel better. But that is dangerous because critical time is lost. While the woman is laying in bed, heart muscle tissue is being damaged. That is also why women arrive at the emergency room much later than men when they have a heart attack. On average, they arrive at the emergency room 3 hours later than men when they have an acute heart attack.
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Who's first? Their name is first on the list.
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To identify potential risk factors for your cardiovascular system, you should have your blood fat levels checked. It is especially important to check your cholesterol levels and other blood fats like triglycerides to identify any major risk factors.
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[music] Triglycerides and cholesterol are blood fats that affect the heart very differently. When we consume more calories than [music] we burn, the body converts the excess into fat and stores it [music] in the blood as triglycerides.
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But too many of these can strain the blood vessels and the heart. [music] Low density lipoprotein or LDL is often called bad cholesterol. [music]
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It's a real troublemaker because over time LDL deposits build up on the inner walls of blood vessels obstructing blood flow and potentially causing serious heart problems. [music]
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Highdensity lipoprotein or HDL on the other hand is known as good cholesterol. [music] It cleans the system, collecting excess cholesterol and transporting it to the liver to be [music] broken down.
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Bad LDL cholesterol is primarily found in animal products like red meats, sausage, baked goods, full fat dairy products, and fried [music] foods. To reduce LDL levels, eating lean meat, fish, healthy fats, and plant-based products is recommended. [music]
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>> I'm going to darken the room so I can see properly. >> You can lie down. Now,
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first I'll look at the main corateed arteries. There are two of them, one on each side. If plaques have already formed here, we will be able to see it at an early stage. To assess your own risk of cardiovascular disease, ask yourself, do I smoke? Do I get enough exercise? Am I overweight? Do I eat a healthy, balanced diet? Do I use drugs? That is also a major risk factor. Ask yourself if you or anyone in your family has any other health conditions. Have you ever had a medical checkup?
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>> The artery wall is very soft. Looks very good. Enough blood reaches your head. >> Good to know. Turn your head toward me. Now I can see your corateed arteries again. Good. Looks good. To check your heart health, it is important to have a cardiac ultrasound that lets us see the heart in its entirety, both its structure and its function. Here you can see the entire heart again, the left and right ventricles, the left and right oracles. I'm looking at the inner wall of the
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heart here to see if it's contracting properly everywhere. If there was a circulation problem in the heart muscle, then an area here would no longer contract properly. But this looks very good. You see your body differently after these exams. Your corateed artery, your heart, and so on. You somehow develop a closer relationship with your body. you realize just how valuable it is and how much it does for you and how good it is to be able to have these examinations done regularly.
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>> Now comes the stress test. I need you to ride the bike and we'll see how your heart does under exertion. We'll have the recorded images on one side and the live image on the other. And if anything changes, we'll see it immediately. Because you're the same age, you need to reach the same target heart rate. That was 160 or so, right? 160. Let's go. >> This is really easy. >> My turn to ride. [laughter]
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>> You're doing great. Everything looks good here. Your heart's pumping well. Just a little more up the hill. Just a little further. >> Great. You're already at 150. Pedal, pedal, pedal. You can do it. Oh god. >> A bit more. More. More. More. 160. Very good. 161. And you can stop. Well done. >> Do you feel any discomfort, pressure in your chest, tightness, a pulling sensation anywhere? >> No, not at all. >> Everything looks very good. Now we just need the lab results. [snorts]
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>> Joelle, let's look at your cholesterol and blood fats.
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Your triglycerides, that's blood fat, are very low. That's a really good level.
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Naomi, when we look at your levels, we can see that your triglycerides are raised. Yeah. Um, >> did you eat something very fatty yesterday? French fries or something? That could affect the level.
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I ate truffle pasta and it was quite oily. That could have affected it. Both of you have slightly raised LDL cholesterol, but I'm not too concerned about that. You don't have any other risk factors and everything else looks great. hours. I'm not happy that my triglyceride level is so much higher than yours, but otherwise I'm relieved.
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We are still waiting on the lipoprotein A level from this morning. We won't get the result today, but once we have it, we'll discuss it together. >> Okay. >> Yep. >> [music] >> Lipoprotein A or LPA for short is a special type of cholesterol in the blood. A high LPA level promotes deposits in the arteries and narrows the blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. [music]
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The problem is that the LPA level is largely determined by genetics. People with high LPA levels have [music] it from birth. Unlike other types of cholesterol, such as LDL, it cannot be lowered through a healthy diet or exercise.
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>> The doctors found that my LPA was twice the normal level. mention. I never thought about it being genetic because I never thought my cholesterol was too high. It was high, but I didn't think it was anything to worry about. You don't normally think about cholesterol when you're young. [music]
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After my heart attack, it took me about 3 years to regain confidence in my body.
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For the first 2 and a half to 3 years, I was afraid every day. [music] >> I actually had panic attacks and had to start behavioral therapy, which helped me cope.
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After a heart attack, patients often feel anxious and may develop an anxiety disorder or panic disorder. They fear having another heart attack and even fear they can no longer cope with life.
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[music] >> My name is Christristiano. My name is Christristiana Valer. I am the chief physician for psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy. And I am also a cardiologist at the Nuremberg Medical Center and University. Psychocardiology is the interaction between the psyche and the heart organ. [screaming]
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My colleagues and I see those patients with cardiovascular disease or those with complaints where cardiologists cannot quite find a cause.
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Patients regain trust and confidence in their bodies when they realize that it is functioning again, that it is resilient, [music] and that this is mostly a state of mind.
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I'm now in Ljubljana where the seven serpent race is starting. There are 150 people here. Now we're off to Triest. too thick and thin.
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>> The ride won't be easy. I think the difficult sections will drag on and it will depend on how mentally fit you are.
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>> I'm not thinking about my heart at the moment. But when things get tough, I'll be very focused on it.
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If Pharaoh notices that it suddenly becomes much harder for him. If he feels pressure or pain in his chest, then he should quit the race and have it checked out. My heart is beating faster than usual, so I'm already excited just because of all the people [laughter] and the fact that I'm the center of attention here.
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Everybody, whether you're the president of the company or the paper boy, everybody has exactly the same amount of time. You both >> I've never ridden this race before, so it will be exciting to see what lies ahead.
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>> Strong emotions are not bad, per se. In fact, they are good for the heart. The important question is how to calm down from strong emotions. We know that interpersonal stress is the hardest for the heart. It's not the stress of your car or washing machine breaking down again. We humans are extremely sensitive and biologically wired to want others to like us, to be attentive to us, to support us, to be there for us. When that is in question at different stages of life, it becomes
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a source of stress that can negatively affect the heart. [music]
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Blood pressure rises, heart rate increases, the heart prepares itself for danger. And if this stress response is permanently activated in the body, then the body is constantly in a state of chronic inflammation. [music]
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We stress each other every day. >> Really sure about small things we forget right away. >> What I find interesting is that sometimes when we are both experiencing stress, we take it out on each other. >> Yeah, we project our stress onto each other. That isn't healthy either. When interpersonal stress affects the heart, we know that stress hormones are released continuously.
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But we also now know that other hormones play an important role. One of my research areas is oxytocin receptors receptors. [music] >> Oxytocin has a very positive effect on our bodies. It's often called the cuddle hormone because it's [music] released during times of closeness, intimacy, and interpersonal connection. Oxytocin is important for the heart because it binds to special receptors on the heart muscle and vascular [music] cells. The result is that blood pressure and
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circulation improve, the heart is relieved, and the whole body relaxes. [music] We have the highest oxytocin levels in our blood when we have just fallen in love. Even when another person, partner, child, or baby touches us, whether male or female, we have the same system and the same ability to release oxytocin. It is also released in large quantities when we orgasm. >> For me, being happy is often tied to other people, like when we hang out together, when I spend time with my
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girlfriend, or when we're on vacation together. The more stressed I am, the unhappier I am.
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>> The key is to learn how to deal with stress in a healthy and effective way. If you do simple breathing exercises when you feel stressed, you'll notice how your body becomes calmer. Your pulse slows and you start to relax.
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[music]
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Free diving just makes me feel balanced.
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Water is a good mirror for how I really feel in that moment, not how I tell myself I should feel. That's why water helps you let go in those moments.
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My name is Anna. >> My name is Anna Karina Schmidt. I'm 37 and I'm a free diver.
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When you free dive, you dive with just one breath. That means you take a deep breath and then dive to the depth you want.
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My warm-up routine consists of meditation and a very gentle form of yoga.
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[music] It usually includes the one minute breath which is a form of meditation that comes from kundalini yoga.
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One breath takes a full minute.
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I breathe in for 20 seconds. >> Hold my breath for 20 seconds [music] >> and breathe out for 20 seconds. There are one minute breath. >> The one minute breath helps to calm down or remain calm and enter a meditative state where we can really focus and listen to ourselves.
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The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system [music] which is able to put our body into a state of rest and relaxation. Specifically, the vagus nerve ensures that [music] fewer activating electrical signals are sent to the heart muscle, [music] which slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and relaxes the body. [music] Controlled slow inhaling and exhaling can stimulate the vagus nerve. [music and singing]
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The water here is 42 m deep and I dive to the bottom with one breath and one flipper. I'm fit. My heart rate monitor is showing my pulse at 78. During really deep dives between 60 and 80 m and depending on the water temperature, your pulse can drop significantly even down to 30.
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Free divers stay underwater for as long as possible without taking in new oxygen. The oxygen reserves that were replenished in the body before the dive are slowly used up at depth. The heart rate slows, the pulse slows, and blood pressure goes down in order to consume as little oxygen as possible during the dive.
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It's essential to focus intensely on abdominal breathing before diving. >> We really want to find complete calm just like right before falling asleep.
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You feel the water on your skin. You breathe in this specific rhythm. You equalize the pressure. You dive. And suddenly you're in that moment and your body knows exactly what to do and then you're released. [laughter]
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[music]
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When you're diving, it's very important to be aware of how you feel on that particular day. Just because you dived incredibly deep or well yesterday or the day before, that doesn't mean you will do just as well the next day. Kid
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[music]
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I feel that I'm in a good place now and that I was very relaxed.
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What free diving has taught me is that nothing you do is in vain. At some point, this moment comes when you feel the yoga you've been doing, the meditation, the focus, but also the strength training and the hours in the gym. And then it all comes together during some workout at 6:30 on a Tuesday morning. You suddenly realize you're really in the flow. with your body and your surroundings.
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[music]
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>> Even after a heart attack, you can still do sports. In theory, even competitive sports. Of course, this depends on how severe the heart attack was, how much heart muscle tissue was damaged, and how well your heart functions after it. [music]
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[music]
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I rode right through the thunderstorm. It rained buckets. Not exactly pleasant. Let him give it a leg.
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>> Good. >> I'm okay. A bit tired. I only slept for 2 and 1/2 hours. >> We've been on the road for exactly 5 and 1/2 hours. >> Those were real mountain passes. We had to carry the bikes for a long time, which was exhausting.
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My heart is actually doing quite well. I've had to do some breathing exercises now and then because it does get a little difficult at times. >> Now I need a coffee. [laughter] >> Okay. [music] >> Okay. Here you are. And double espresso.
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Hello. >> Hello. >> Hey. >> Hey, Kita. We can't see you. >> You still can't see me. >> No, not yet. >> Ah, now. >> Can you see me now? >> Hi, Kita. Hi. I'm glad we can talk again because we were still waiting for the lipoprotein A results. >> The LPA is primarily determined by genetics and is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease.
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The results show that you both have elevated levels. Oh, wow. Okay. I know it's a shock to hear that you have a risk marker, >> but what this result tells us is actually a great opportunity because now we can minimize the risk as much as possible. Okay. >> I would strongly advise you not to start smoking under any circumstances. That is very important. I would recommend having your corateed arteries checked regularly as this will reveal any early signs of plaque buildup or thickening of the
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artery walls. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yes. Okay. >> It's good to know there are ways to deal with it. >> There are lots of people out there who don't even realize they carry this risk, but once you know, you can manage it. And that's the silver lining. >> Okay. Thank you, Kena. Bye. >> Cheers. >> See you again. Bye. [sighs]
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>> Yeah, >> I think once we've had time to digest it, we'll be glad we had the chance to learn about all this and have all these examinations. To be honest, during these tests, I sometimes thought it would be boring for people watching because our results were good and everything went well. Yeah, we're young with relatively healthy lifestyles, but we are still at risk because of our genetic makeup. It's a good reminder. [music]
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>> For me, racing is a way of pushing boundaries, of pushing my body to its limits. Now that I have better control over my body, I'm no longer afraid to push past those limits.
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>> [music]
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[music]
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>> around this.
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Seven serpents 25. >> I feel great. >> I'm really happy that I made it through after 4 days and a few setbacks. My heart actually did pretty well during the race except for the first two days when it was really hard going. After that, it just took care of itself. And the last two days were pretty good. Now, I'm looking forward to a shower [laughter] and lying down for a while because my back is a bit sore.
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>> But otherwise, I'm doing very well.
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The heart is the hardest working muscle in our body. And yet, it [music] never complains of muscle pain. It quietly and reliably powers our lives, especially when we are young. The heart only warns us when it has no other choice. Over the years, we have learned that healthy eating, exercise, and not smoking are not enough. Our genes also play a role, meaning some risks are [music] inherited. This makes it all the more important to listen more to our heart. It needs emotional breaks.
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People with whom we can laugh, cry, argue, or just be quiet. Times and places free of pressure. We need to quiet the inner noise and feel what really makes our hearts beat. [music] >> It was late at night. [singing] You held on tight.
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