We all know that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are important habits for a healthy heart. But did you know that you could still be undermining all your efforts with some surprisingly common bad habits?

“Even small lifestyle changes can make big differences in your heart health if you stick with them,” said Jayne Morgan, MD, cardiologist and the clinical director of the COVID Task Force at Piedmont Hospital-Healthcare in Atlanta.

Check out these heart-damaging habits and ways you can break out of these unhealthy routines:

1. Sitting All Day

An international study surveying more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries found that people who sat for six to eight hours a day had a 12 to 13 percent higher chance of dying at a younger age and having heart disease, while those who sat for more than eight hours daily, those risks jumped to 20 percent, according to a study published in June 2022 in the journal JAMA Cardiology.

If your job requires sitting at a desk all day, try to take a break every so often and take a walk. In a paper published in September 2022 in JAMA Neurology, researchers who followed more than 78,000 adults found that taking as few as 2,000 to 3,800 steps daily improved heart health and reduced the chances of premature death, although to a lesser degree than taking 10,000 steps a day. The study noted that even incidental steps (steps taken as we go about daily life) also lowered the risk of heart disease (as well as cancer).

The American Heart Association (AHA) says that walking at a lively pace at least 150 minutes a week can help you reduce the risk of heart disease — so two brisk 15-minute walks each day of the work week can make a difference.

“Moderate exercise for a half-hour three to five times a week will protect your heart,” says Nicholas Ruthmann, MD, staff cardiologist with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “It's a muscle like any other muscle — if you don't work it, it will get weak. It also helps to control your weight, as obesity is another big risk factor for a heart attack.” There are many ways to get moderate exercise, including hiking, yoga, biking, water aerobics, dancing, and even gardening or doing some yard work.

2. Using the Pandemic as an Excuse

Many people seem to have developed poor health habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Abha Khandelwal, MD, a clinical associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University in California. “People have been working from home so they're closer to their kitchen, and unfortunately, for the vast majority of Americans, the pandemic was probably a detriment to their cardiometabolic profile,” said Dr. Khandelwal. “I think for the vast majority of Americans COVID definitely made them more sedentary, a little bit more obese, and not eating as well as they should.”

In a review published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition in 2021, scientists observed poor eating habits during the pandemic in the majority of 23 studies evaluated, including increased snacking and meal frequency, as well as a drop in eating fresh produce — but an increase in eating comfort foods and drinking alcohol.

The AHA stresses that drinking too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and obesity — all of which increase your risk for heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests limiting intake to two drinks or less in a day for men or one drink or less in a day for women. It’s okay to enjoy the occasional cocktail or glass of wine, but you can protect your heart by not overdoing it.

3. Spending Too Much Time Alone

According to a review published in 2022 the Journal of the American Heart Association, social isolation and loneliness are associated with a 30 percent increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or death by either. Investigators found that isolation and loneliness may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among young people ages 18 to 25, older adults, women, and low-income individuals.

“Connect with others, even if virtually,” says Dr. Ruthmann. “Also, if you and your social circle are focused on a healthy lifestyle, you’re much more likely to stick with it.” Having the support of friends can be a great motivator.

The study findings also showed that isolation and loneliness were connected to symptoms of chronic stress. Over time, too much stress can damage blood vessels in the heart and increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.

To minimize the harmful effects of stress, the AHA recommends the following:

Find a release. Share your feelings by talking with a trusted friend or family member. Ask for help if you are depressed, lonely, or have trouble with daily tasks. “We know individuals who leave anxiety and depression untreated have worse cardiovascular outcomes,” says Khandelwal.
Plan your day. Prioritize tasks and plan ahead to help prevent rushing to get everything done.
Exercise. Relieve mental tension by engaging in physical activity. Aim for about 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week.

Dr. Morgan adds that owning a dog can be a way to both get more physical activity and also help improve a person’s emotional outlook. “Adopting a dog for companionship can improve mental health but also having a dog forces you to walk every day,” she says.

4. Adding Way Too Much Salt to Your Food

Excessive sodium can lead to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Americans eat on average about 3,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, which is way over the recommended daily amount. Not to mention there’s loads of sodium hidden in our foods. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) reports that processed foods — including canned vegetables and soups, lunch meats, frozen dinners, chips, and other salty snacks — account for most of the salt Americans consume. Be sure to read nutrition labels and compare products, choosing the one with the lowest amount of sodium. A rule of thumb to follow: Consume no more than 2,300 mg a day — as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center notes, that’s 1 teaspoon of salt! For most adults, ideally aim for less than 1,500 mg per day.

Dr. Morgan recognizes that socioeconomic factors may be linked to poor dietary choices. “Cooking at home with fresh fruits and vegetables is often more expensive than actually going out for a very cheap processed hamburger and fries, which are high in salt, but it costs less and fits in with the budget,” she says. “It's easier to make choices that might be cheaper for your pocket, but it’s more expensive for your health.”

5. Skimping on Sleep

Your heart works hard all day, and if you don’t get enough sleep, your cardiovascular system doesn’t get the rest it needs. Your heart rate and blood pressure dip during the first phase of sleep (the non-REM phase), then rise and fall in response to your dreams during the second phase (REM sleep).

Research published in October 2022 in the Journal of the American Heart Association highlighted that sleep is integral to heart health and should be considered when evaluating a person’s cardiovascular status. The research said that more than one-third of adults are “short sleepers,” getting less than seven hours of sleep a night. Short and poor quality sleep and sleep disorders are associated with higher obesity, hypertension, and diabetes risk. Analyses of previous studies demonstrate that short sleep duration is associated with up to 48 percent higher risk of developing or dying from coronary heart disease and 15 percent higher stroke risk.

Too much sleep isn’t healthy either. The paper cited data showing that long sleepers (who get nine hours or more of shut-eye a night) had a 56 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those sleeping seven to eight hours nightly rest.

Chronic sleep deprivation can also lead to high resting cortisol, the hormone that responds to stress, and increased adrenaline levels, similar to what you experience in a stressful situation.

Ideally, people need seven to eight hours of sleep each day, recommends Khandelwal. “People who have restorative quality sleep are better able to take on the day and meet the challenge of leading a heart healthy lifestyle,” she says. “Once we treat sleep disruption, it can actually improve blood pressure numbers and weight.”

6. Avoiding Regular Doctor Visits

Ruthmann believes the pandemic has increased a bad habit of not seeing a doctor for regular checkups and not seeking care when we have symptoms (due to concerns about contracting COVID-19). Khandelwal encourages adults of all ages to get a full checkup even when not having health issues.

“In your twenties and thirties, you may not be thinking about heart disease,” she says. “But you want to take the time to visit your doctor to make sure that you're attacking any risk factors early so that you can hopefully prevent some of the negative outcomes that can happen a couple decades later.”

Make Your Heart-Healthy Changes Stick

Morgan emphasizes that lifestyle changes only improve heart health if you keep with them and make them a habit. “Some changes may seem like work at first, but once they are a habit, they just become part of your everyday life and it’s not so hard,” she says.

Consider trying these steps to make your heart-healthy changes stick:

Write out a list of the changes you want to make. Putting goals down on paper makes them tangible and creates a guide you can follow. Just be sure you’re as realistic and specific as possible.
Break down your goals into manageable milestones. Don’t try to make all the changes at once. “Try to do things in moderation,” says Morgan. “Start with a small change and incorporate that into your lifestyle.” Make sure each milestone feels attainable.
Gradually add new changes. When a change starts to become second nature, add another goal. Keep doing this until you reach the end of your list.

If you experience a setback, don’t give up. Remember that as changes turn into habits, you’ll be on your way to the ultimate goal: maintaining a healthier heart.