Heart Health: 5 Daily Habits That Are Secretly Damaging Your Heart

Heart disease cases are on the rise in India. Dr. Deebanshu Gupta, an Interventional Cardiologist at Sarvodaya Hospital, explains how some of our daily habits could be damaging our hearts without us even knowing it.

Working out without enough rest can do more harm than good, warns Dr. Deebanshu. While regular exercise is great for the heart, overdoing it puts your body under too much stress and can negatively impact your heart's health.

Excessive exercise can increase inflammation and cause an irregular heartbeat. Over time, it can even lead to structural changes in your heart muscle. The American Diabetes Association suggests aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.

Following the wrong diet can seriously affect your heart. Crash diets that involve skipping meals or cutting calories drastically might help you lose weight fast, but they can mess up your electrolyte balance and raise bad cholesterol levels. Studies show that the Mediterranean diet is a much better choice for long-term heart health.

Many people focus on diet and fitness but completely ignore sleep. Poor sleep can lead to high blood pressure and increase stress hormones like cortisol, raising your risk of heart disease. A study in Sleep Medicine Clinics found that getting less than six hours of sleep regularly increases hypertension risk by 20–32 percent.

Taking supplements without a doctor's advice is a risky game. Dr. Deebanshu Gupta warns that even things like vitamins or fish oil pills can interfere with your regular medicines or affect your heart rhythm if taken without proper guidance. Always consult a doctor before starting any supplement, especially if you have a heart condition.