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3. SKIMPING ON SLEEP Not getting your seven (or eight or nine) hours of shuteye a night will slowly, but quite reliably, damage your health, including your heart. “Poor-quality sleep or

untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure and affect heart health,” Lewsey cautions. Lack of sleep has also been associated with diabetes and weight gain, which negatively affect

heart health, too. Sleep apnea can “cause abnormal heart rhythms,” Johnson points out. 4. OPTING FOR UNHEALTHY FOODS A heart-healthy diet includes a panoply of delicious options: fruits,

vegetables, lean protein, nuts and whole grains. In a recent review of heart-healthy diets, published in the journal _Circulation_, an American Heart Association committee ranked the DASH

(Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet at the top of the list. This diet, designed to treat or prevent high blood pressure, is low in salt, added sugar, alcohol and processed foods,

and rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Also ranking high for its heart-health benefits is the Mediterranean diet, which, like DASH, consists of mostly plants, limits meats

and focuses on “good fats” including walnuts, almonds, olive oil and avocados. A few other tips: Swap sodas for water — a lot of water. Watch out for processed, sugary and fried foods, and

be mindful of what you eat and drink at restaurants. Food full of saturated and trans fats, salt and cholesterol is best reserved for special occasions, rather than on the daily. “Avoiding

[foods] high [in] sodium is really important,” Johnson says. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that most adults consume fewer than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, with

2,300 mg as an upper limit. Yet the average American eats more than 3,400 mg of sodium a day, the AHA says. Pay attention to those numbers from your routine blood tests, too. Watch out for

an excess of bad cholesterol (LDL) and/or triglycerides and not enough good cholesterol (HDL). Also, high blood sugar can damage your blood vessels. People with diabetes are twice as likely

to develop heart disease; plus, they’re more likely to experience heart failure.  Try not to “overindulge with food,” Youmans warns. “We all love that slice of pizza or juicy hamburger, and,

in fact, occasionally, those foods can be OK. But when our diets consist of foods high in fats and sugars all the time, it starts to affect our heart health negatively.” 5. LIVING A LONELY

LIFE It’s so important to have friends and family to lean on. Unfortunately, it’s not as common as you may think. In 2023, one in three adults ages 50 to 80 reported feeling isolated in the

past year, according to the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. More than one in three older adults (37 percent) reported feeling a lack of companionship. These

circumstances can be terrible for your health, including your heart. A 2023 advisory from the U.S. surgeon general explains that social isolation and loneliness are associated with a 29

percent increase in the risk of heart disease and a 32 percent increase in the risk of stroke. What’s more, the report says the effect of social isolation on high blood pressure among older

adults “is even greater than that of other major clinical risk factors such as diabetes.”  That’s why it’s crucial to find a group of people who will support you and make you feel fulfilled.

Try to “seek community resources and support groups to help you with these lifestyle changes,” Lewsey says, and work to “build a network of support” to help you along the way. The Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of helpful resources for people who are feeling lonely or socially isolated.  VACCINES AND HEART HEALTH Vaccines don’t just help fight off some

pretty nasty illnesses. Research suggests they can also help protect your heart. * A study published in the American Heart Association journal _Stroke_ found that people who were

hospitalized for a flu-like illness were 38 percent more likely than adults hospitalized for other reasons to have a stroke within a month of their hospitalization. Receiving a flu vaccine

within the year before hospitalization lowered a person’s stroke risk to 11 percent.  * A study published in _JAMA Network_ found that full vaccination against COVID-19 was associated with a

reduced risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke after a coronavirus infection. _Source: American Heart Association_ 6. SMOKING TOBACCO Whether you vape or smoke cigarettes or cigars,

tobacco is terrible for your health. Secondhand tobacco smoke is, too. Most people know this, but what you may not realize is that tobacco doesn’t just ravage your lungs and cause cancer:

Your heart is also a victim. “Even in someone who has been a long-term smoker, there are immediate and long-lasting cardiovascular benefits of quitting smoking,” Lewsey says. Tobacco damages

blood vessels and causes plaque buildup (atherosclerosis), which can trigger a heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms and, eventually, heart failure. What can you do? “Set a quit date,”

Youmans says. “Let your friends and/or loved ones know so that they can hold you accountable, and use nicotine replacement or other medicines to help you quit with the help of your doctor.”

You can find tips and other help on the CDC’s website.