We all know about the risky behaviours of smoking and being overweight that can stop our lifeblood flowing. But what about other everyday behaviours that can damage our heart? Here's a list of other potentially damaging activities.

Up, Up and Away

Energy drinks such as Red Bull can be found at nearly every convenience and grocery store, and many people have started to use the heavily caffeinated beverages as a way to maintain focus or stay awake. However, they have also come under scrutiny for their ability to raise blood pressure and heart rates.

A recent Australian study found that after having just one Red Bull containing about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee study participants showed symptoms common to people with cardiovascular disease, such as increased blood clots. And, the company itself recommends no more than two drinks each day.

“I think we’re just beginning to understand what the long-term cardiovascular effects of some of these might be,” said Bob Reid, associate director of prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. “We don’t have years of experience with people consuming large quantities of these, but from a pure physiology point of view, a high use of stimulants tends to cause more wear and tear on the cardiovascular system.”

Taking It Easy

Viagra is a medication commonly prescribed to older men,

and when it was first introduced there were concerns about reported heart attacks. Since then, Viagra induced heart attacks have been linked to men taking nitrates or nitroglycerin.

Nitrates help widen blood vessels so your heart doesn’t

have to work as hard to get oxygen-rich blood, and in the process lowering your blood pressure. Unfortunately, Viagra also lowers blood pressure, which lead to dangerously low blood pressure and possibly fainting.

“The major concern with Viagra is in those men who require nitroglycerin,” said Dr. Andreas Wielgosz, a spokesperson for the  Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and a cardiologist at Ottawa General Hospital. “The two are a bad mix. If you’re using nitroglycerin, you should not be using Viagra. 

Stressed Out

Although the effects of stress on heart disease have long been known anecdotally, new research is linking elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol to negative impacts on blood pressure and blood glucose, said Reid.

Japanese women have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world, but those rates were tripled in stressful housing situations like when the in-laws move in. A study of over 90,000 Japanese women aged 40-69 found that the risk of heart attack in women tripled when the married couple lived with her in-laws. However, when kids move back home the rate was only doubled.

Sleep deprivation can also lead to increased levels of cortisol. A study in 2008 done by the University of Chicago Medical Center showed that individuals who slept less than seven hours each night had a significant increase in heart disease risk factors like calcium buildups in the arteries. The researchers weren’t clear about the cause of the increased blockages, but at night cortisol levels are at their lowest.

“In our frenetic pace of life today, we’re compromising a lot on sleep,” said Wielgosz. “Sleep deprivation can lead to over eating, weight increase, high blood pressure, and rhythm disturbances of the heart, so getting adequate sleep is very important.”

Avoid Being an Ostrich

Don’t put your head in the sand about your heart. Many of the most important risk factors for heart disease are invisible without a trip to your family physician.

Dr. Wielgosz, recommends that people should visit their doctor around the age of 35-40 for a heart risk assessment. And, if there is a family history of early onset heart disease or strokes, it is best to take stock of your blood pressure, glucose levels, cholesterol levels, and weight distribution before you graduate university.

As well, more new research on risky behavior for your heart is emerging every year. Keep an eye on what is getting reported, but be sure to run the research by your physician before taking the advice to heart.

“More and more people in the general public are going onto the Internet and looking at various findings that they then confront us with and we try to help sort it out,” said Wielgosz. “But, it might be premature for people to start paying attention to some of these things.”

What’s true in mice is not always true in humans, so be a smart reader of health studies.