8 Habits to Break for Better Heart Health: A Cardiologist’s Guide Ahead of World Heart Day

Ahead of World Heart Day (September 29), a cardiologist explains why protecting the heart often begins with changing the everyday habits that quietly increase cardiovascular risk

Dr. Chanakya Kishore Kammaripalli

As a cardiologist, one thing I often tell my patients is that heart disease usually does not begin on the day someone develops chest pain or suffers a heart attack. The risk may have been building quietly for years.

High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, excess weight, physical inactivity and poor lifestyle habits can gradually affect the heart and blood vessels, often without obvious warning signs.

Ahead of World Heart Day, therefore, we should talk not only about treating heart disease but also about the habits to avoid for heart health. In simple terms, there are some things it may be time to “break up” with for the sake of our heart and heart health. Understanding the bad habits for heart health that become part of everyday life can be an important first step towards prevention.

Smoking

If there is one break-up your heart will thank you for, it is smoking. Tobacco damages blood vessels and significantly increases cardiovascular risk. I often meet patients who believe that reducing the number of cigarettes is enough. Reduction may be a step towards quitting, but the goal should be to stop completely.

Understanding smoking and heart disease risk is important because tobacco exposure can damage blood vessels and accelerate the development of cardiovascular disease. For anyone looking at lifestyle changes for heart disease prevention, quitting smoking should be an important priority.

Too much salt

High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors we see in cardiac practice, and excess sodium intake can contribute to it. The problem is not just the salt we add while cooking. Packaged foods, pickles, snacks, sauces and restaurant meals can contain significant amounts of sodium. Small reductions in daily intake can make a difference over time.

Reducing excess salt is among the daily habits to reduce heart attack risk, particularly when it is combined with other measures such as maintaining a healthy weight, staying active and controlling blood pressure. These are also practical habits to avoid for heart health when considering what needs to change in everyday life.

Added sugar

“Sugar is the new cholesterol” is a phrase increasingly used to draw attention to the metabolic risks of excessive sugar intake. While sugar and cholesterol affect the body in different ways, consuming too much added sugar can contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, diabetes and unhealthy triglyceride levels — all of which can increase cardiovascular risk. Sugary drinks, sweets and highly processed foods are common sources. An occasional sweet is different from making added sugar part of your everyday diet. This is one relationship your heart may be better off without.

Reducing excessive added sugar is another of the daily habits to reduce heart attack risk, particularly for people who are also managing weight, blood sugar or triglyceride levels.

Sitting for long hours

Many working professionals tell me they exercise in the morning but spend the next eight or ten hours sitting. Exercise is important, but regular movement throughout the day also matters. Take short walking breaks, use stairs when possible and avoid remaining seated continuously for long periods. These simple changes can support heart health over time.

Regular movement is also among the lifestyle changes for heart disease prevention that can be incorporated into a busy working day without requiring major changes to an exercise routine.

Late nights and poor sleep

Sleep is still underestimated as part of heart health. Consistently inadequate or poor-quality sleep is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors. We need to stop treating sleep as something we can continuously compromise because of work, entertainment or screen time.

Poor sleep can also become one of the bad habits for heart health when it turns into a persistent pattern. Giving the body adequate time to rest is an important part of a healthier lifestyle.

Chronic stress

Stress is unavoidable, but chronic stress can indirectly affect the heart by influencing blood pressure, sleep, eating habits, smoking, alcohol use and physical activity. Managing stress does not mean eliminating every problem from life. It means finding healthier ways to respond to it.

The relationship between stress and heart health deserves attention because chronic stress can influence several behaviours and risk factors that affect cardiovascular health. Learning to manage stress is therefore an important part of lifestyle changes for heart disease prevention.

Excess alcohol

Alcohol should never be started or consumed with the belief that it is good for the heart. Excessive alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure and contribute to abnormal heart rhythms and other health problems. People with existing medical conditions should discuss their individual risks with their doctor.

For people who drink, understanding the relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular risk can help identify bad habits for heart health that may need to be reconsidered.

Skipping health checks

This is perhaps one of the most important habits to break. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes can remain silent for years. I have seen patients who felt perfectly healthy until their first major cardiac event.

Do not wait for chest pain to start thinking about your heart. Know your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, and discuss your cardiovascular risk with your doctor, particularly if you have a family history or other risk factors. Regular preventive care is an important part of protecting heart health.

Knowing your personal risk factors and making timely changes can help address smoking and heart disease risk as well as other preventable cardiovascular risks. Preventive check-ups can also help identify areas where habits to avoid for heart health need to be addressed before they contribute to a serious problem.

As World Heart Day approaches, we do not need to make eight changes overnight. Start with one.

Ask yourself: What am I ready to break up with for my heart?

Because preventing heart disease often begins long before the first symptom — with the choices we make every day. Paying attention to stress and heart health, quitting tobacco, staying active, eating a balanced diet and keeping track of key health numbers can all form part of a long-term approach to cardiovascular prevention.

Dr. Chanakya Kishore Kammaripalli is Clinical Director & Sr. Interventional Cardiologist,
CARE Hospitals, Hitech City, Hyderabad