{"id":1063524,"date":"2026-07-02T10:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T10:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1063524\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T10:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T10:32:20","slug":"cardiologist-explains-6pm-ban-rule-that-protects-heart-and-most-of-us-break-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1063524\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiologist explains 6pm ban rule that protects heart and most of us break it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Common bedtime routines, health methods and drinks could be putting you at risk of heart diseaseNeil Shaw<\/strong><\/a> Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)<\/p>\n

08:53, 01 Jul 2026Updated 09:35, 02 Jul 2026<\/p>\n

\"Many<\/p>\n

Many people will have one drink in the evening for ‘better health’<\/p>\n

A cardiologist has explained six things he never does after 6pm to maintain his heart health, as 8million people in the UK now live with cardiovascular disease, and it is estimated that more than half of Brits will develop a cardiovascular condition in their lifetime.<\/p>\n

Cardiologist Dr Francesco Lo Monaco<\/a> , founder of the National Heart Clinic, said there are six things you should always avoid doing after 6pm to keep your heart healthy.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t use strong mouthwash<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing Dr Lo Monaco advises against is using any strong antibacterial mouthwash. He said: \u201cThe bacteria in your mouth helps convert compounds from food into nitric oxide, which keeps your blood vessels flexible and able to relax when needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, some powerful mouthwashes can wipe out this bacteria, which can raise blood pressure, which is not what you want when your body should be resting and recovering from the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors find a way of making us young again, eating like a Greek slashes heart disease risk, and cure for deadly cancer found at the bottom of the sea – all this and more in our science newsletter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Mouthwash<\/p>\n

Mouthwash could be bad for you<\/p>\n

No blue light exposure<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scrolling in bed before falling asleep has become a common habit for many of us, but it could be causing more harm than first realised. Dr Lo Monaco said: \u201cBright blue-rich light in the evening, especially through the eyes, can suppress melatonin, which isn\u2019t just for sleep, it\u2019s actually one of the most protective antioxidants for your blood vessels.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo less melatonin means more oxidative stress in your arteries over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avoid intense static exercises<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s planks, wall sits, or dead hangs, these exercises can elevate blood pressure for hours, warns Dr Lo Monaco. \u201cIf you\u2019ve already had a stressful day, your nervous system is in overdrive, and heavy late-night strain keeps it there,\u201d he said. \u201cTrain hardest early in the day and keep any late-evening exercise sessions lighter to help your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avoid calming supplements<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it might seem beneficial to have something such as green tea to calm yourself before sleep, it\u2019s actually the opposite. Dr Lo Monaco explained: \u201cSomething such as L-theanine, found in green tea, influences your stress response and nervous system, and your heart rhythm is directly connected to that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the wrong dose, timing, or context, supplements can interact with sleep in ways we don\u2019t always predict, which can unbalance your natural heart rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/p>\n

Green tea is a common health drink<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t hold your breath for a long period of time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breathwork is something often practiced to help people improve their sleep patterns, but done incorrectly and it could damage your heart health. Dr Lo Monaco said: \u201cI value breathwork, but long or repeated breath-holding can drop oxygen levels and put extra load on the heart in some people.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring REM sleep your blood is slightly more prone to clotting. If someone already has underlying vascular or sleep issues, stacking extra stressors on top of that isn\u2019t wise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fast for three hours<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, Dr Lo Monaco advises fasting three hours before sleep to reduce stress on the heart as well as improve blood pressure<\/a> control. \u201cIf you eat too close to when you sleep, your body is being forced to increase sympathetic activity when it should be resting,\u201d he said. \u201cBy simply fasting three hours before bed you will reduce endothelial stress and improve vascular flexibility, meaning less oxygen demand on your heart and more efficient overnight recovery during sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Common bedtime routines, health methods and drinks could be putting you at risk of heart diseaseNeil Shaw Assistant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1063525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[11],"tags":[1629,1630,105,302,58175,16,15],"class_list":["post-1063524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-blood-pressure","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-heart-disease","tag-r-e-m","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116849932329285694","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1063524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1063525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1063524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1063524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1063524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}