Tag: Heart Research UK

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip: Improving Sleep Quality

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY

March is National Bed Month and therefore there has never been a more relevant time to start thinking about our sleep.

Many people across the UK can find it difficult to get the quality and quantity of sleep that they need. Lack of good quality sleep can affect how our body works, such as by changing the levels of hunger and stress hormones in our body during the day, which can increase our blood pressure and affect our heart and circulatory system.

For adults it is recommended to try and get around 8 hours of sleep per night, but sometimes it can be the quality of our sleep which keeps us from topping up our energy levels.

With this in mind, here are some tips for getting the shut-eye we need:

Exercise

Exercising can strengthen our heart and arteries but can also improve the quality of our sleep. Whilst any kind of exercise can be of benefit, ensure that any exercise conducted 1-2 hours before going to bed is at a low to moderate intensity to prevent an increase in stress hormone release before going to bed. This may include a short walk or activities such as yoga.

Be Consistent

Having a consistent bedtime routine can help us to wind down during the evening. Simple steps such as taking a hot bath or changing into pajamas can help to prepare both our body and our mind for sleep.

Regulate Light Exposure

Light exposure helps us to regulate our body clock. When it gets dark, our body secretes a hormone called ‘melatonin’ which helps us to sleep. By getting exposure to natural light in the day and limiting our exposure to screens and bright lights late at night, we can help to improve our overall sleep quality.

Avoid Late-Night Coffees

It is recommended to avoid caffeine past 2pm. This is because caffeine, a stimulant found mainly in coffee and tea, has a half-life of around five hours. This means that if you drink a cup of coffee at 5pm, half of it will still be left in your bloodstream at 10pm and this can affect your sleep quality.

Avoid Alcohol

Although some people may find it easier to get to sleep after having a glass of wine, alcohol is known to stop us from being able to enter the deepest stage of sleep and therefore can leave us feeling tired the next day. Excess alcohol consumption can also lead to weight gain which can place strain on our heart.

Heart of Scotland appeal teams up with Scottish Women in Sport to get the nation moving

The Heart of Scotland appeal, launched by national charity Heart Research UK, has partnered with Scottish Women in Sport (SWIS) in a bid to increase the activity levels of women across Scotland.

Every year, coronary heart disease, including heart attacks, kills around 2,600 women in Scotland – seven women every day.

The Heart of Scotland appeal was launched in 2019 to raise awareness of the problem of heart health in Scotland, as well as generating vital funds for pioneering research at Universities’ and hospitals across the country.

Coronary heart disease is Scotland’s single biggest killer, with lifestyle factors such as obesity and lack of exercise directly impacting upon a person’s risk.

In an effort to combat the statistic that more than a third of adults in Scotland do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity, the Heart of Scotland appeal has teamed up with SWIS to inspire women across Scotland to get more active.

Today, the Heart of Scotland Appeal and SWIS will be celebrating International Women’s Day by featuring inspirational video interviews with some of Scotland’s leading female athletes, including Hannah Rankin, Katie Archibald MBE, Jasmin Paris, Rebecca Sellar, Samantha Kinghorn and Rachel Corsie.

They will share their experiences of reaching the pinnacle of their respective sports and their advice for any young person wishing to follow in their footsteps.


Heart Research UK have collaborated on this latest campaign, which has been backed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, to highlight the relationship between an active lifestyle and a healthy heart whilst encouraging more women in Scotland to get active.

This is the second collaboration between Heart Research UK and Scottish Women in Sport who together produced a series of video interviews with four of the leading Scottish female researchers, academics and practitioners who have devoted their time and expertise to taking on heart disease for International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Maureen McGonigle, Founder of Scottish Women in Sport, said: “It is a privilege to work with Heart Research UK, as they are such an established and passionate organisation.

“Together along with some of Scotland’s top sportswomen, we hope to raise awareness of the impact of heart disease on women, and hopefully encourage more women to get active and take on heart disease.”

Dr Helen Flaherty, head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK, said: “We all know how important it is to be active – it’s one of the best things we can do to improve our heart health.

“However, many people find it difficult to get motivated, or struggle to fit the recommended 150 minutes of exercise into a week.

“Women often find it difficult to engage with physical activity due to a lack of confidence and time. Through this partnership with SWIS, we hope to be able to encourage women all across Scotland to increase their activity levels, and also to encourage the next generation of Scottish sportswomen, as well as helping to reduce the gender gap in physical activity and sport.”

Heart Research UK: Healthy Tips

Goal Setting

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

It’s never too late in the year to think about setting some personal targets. Research indicates that the first key step to making positive changes to our lifestyle is setting a goal.

With this in mind, here are some of the things you may consider when setting a target to improve your heart health:

Be Clear About What You Want to Achieve

Detailed, specific goals that use some sort of framework such as SMART can help us to set correspondingly clear actions on how to achieve our goal. Try and avoid goals which include statements such as ‘do your best’ and rather opt for an objective measure to assess your performance against such as ‘score above 80%’.

Be Like Goldilocks

We know that setting goals that are either too challenging or too easy will reduce your likelihood of success. Goals need to be ‘just right’ by offering a level of challenge whilst also being realistic.

Break It Down

Try to include regular check-ins to assess your progress and adjust your goal if necessary. For example, if you are looking to lose weight, you may schedule a monthly weigh-in.

Write It Down

It can be useful to commit to your goal with a pencil and paper. Interestingly, those who sign a ‘contract’ of commitment to their goal will typically improve their chances of goal achievement; this could be a post-it note on the fridge or a handwritten pledge that you keep on your desk.

Share It

Research also indicates that sharing our goal with someone else can improve accountability, and thus increase our likelihood of success.

For more tips on how to improve your heart health, visit the ‘Healthy Tips’ page on our website.

Cure frontman Robert Smith selling special edition artwork to support Heart Research UK

Robert Smith, of alternative rock band The Cure, is selling off prints of his original artwork to raise money for Heart Research UK.

Robert became a patron of the charity in 2020, following his involvement with the charity’s anonymous heART project over the past 2 years. The project, now in its 4th successful year, sees pieces of art from celebrities and artists auctioned on eBay. The twist? Though a full list of contributors is available, buyers don’t know who produced which piece until they receive it.

The artwork for sale is a piece Robert produced for the 2020 anonymous heART project and is titled ‘I WILL KISS YOU FOREVER…’

It features lyrics from The Cure hit ‘The same deep water as you’ and the original sold for over £5,000 in the initial auction. 

In response to a large number of requests from fans to buy prints of his work, Heart Research UK are selling high quality A4 and A3 prints of the artwork, for £25 and £50 respectively. The prints will be on sale from the1-14th March 2021, and will then be printed to order.

All of the money raised will support Heart Research UK’s life-saving work, funding pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

Robert Smith said: “More than a quarter of all deaths in the UK are caused by heart and circulatory disease – I have very sadly seen too many friends and family fall victim over the years.

“Continuing support for research into the understanding and treatment of coronary heart disease is absolutely vital – for everyone.

“Before the anonymous heART project, I hadn’t picked up paint with purpose for almost 30 years. My favourite creative medium has always been sound, but making these has inspired me to start drawing again.

“I’m so thrilled to be able to support a charity that means a lot to me, and also share a little bit of myself with The Cure’s passionate and generous fanbase.”

The prints are being sold on eBay until the 14th March 2021. A4 prints cost £25, and A3 prints cost £50.

You can purchase your print here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/heartresearchuk_shop

Heart Research UK launch charity cookbook

National charity Heart Research UK have launched their first charity cookbook, featuring 17 recipes from celebs, chefs and some of the web’s biggest food bloggers.

The e-book, which is available to download here for a suggested donation of £5, features a selection of well-balanced recipes from some of the best known faces in food and fitness, including Joe Wicks, The Hairy Bikers, Heart Research UK ambassador Sally Bee, Gennaro Contraldo, Michelin Star Chef Tom Kitchin, Masterchef winner Shelina Permaloo and many more.

Recipes range from light breakfasts and brunches, through to healthy snacks, show-stopping main meals and family favourites, and even a few desserts.

Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK, said: “As someone who loves cooking and eating nutritionally balanced dishes, I know that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or expensive.

“We put together this cookbook to provide everyone, from families and first time cooks to the home-chef extraordinaire, a selection of recipes that are healthy, full of flavour and unpretentious.

“I often advise people on making dietary changes to reduce their risk of heart disease and manage their weight. A healthy, well-balanced diet contains plenty of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods and not too much fat, sugar or salt. By using this cookbook, we hope you will discover some delicious new recipes that will enable you to keep looking after your heart.”

The cookbook can be downloaded here, for a suggested donation of £5.

All of the money raised will support Heart Research UK’s life-saving work, funding pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

 https://heartresearch.org.uk/cookbook/

Find healthy recipes and get cooking!

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Sticking to a healthy diet can be easier if you cook from scratch. Ready meals, takeaways and pre-packaged foods can be high in fat, sugar and salt. Home-cooked meals are often cheaper, tastier, healthier and better for the environment.

It may also be quicker to rustle up a home-cooked meal, than wait for a takeaway to be delivered.

Here we provide some tips to help you find and cook some healthy recipes:

Finding healthy recipes

There are lots of healthy recipe books and websites available. When looking for healthy recipes, make sure you choose a trusted source.

Our new cookbook includes plenty of delicious and healthy recipes from well-known names, such as Joe Wicks and the Hairy Bikers. The recipes have been carefully selected by our Nutritionist for their use of fresh, healthy ingredients that promote good heart health.

You can download the book here – https://heartresearch.org.uk/cookbook/

Check the ingredients list


When looking for a healthy recipe, make sure you pay attention to the ingredients list. Avoid recipes that include a lot of fat, salt, sugar or processed meats and cheeses. Healthier recipes include:

  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Wholegrain ingredients (e.g. brown rice, brown bread or whole-wheat pasta)
  • Lean sources of protein (e.g. fish, chicken (without skin), beans, pulses or tofu)
  • Low-fat dairy products (or alternatives), such as skimmed milk, fat-free yoghurt or soya products

Choose healthy cooking methods


Find recipes that use healthier cooking methods, such as steaming, baking or grilling, rather than frying or deep-frying in oil. Avoid recipes that cook with animal fats (such as lard or butter) and coconut oil as these are high in saturated fats which can increase your risk of heart disease. Choose recipes that use plant-based oils, such as rapeseed, olive, sunflower or vegetable oils. 

Adapt your favourite recipes

Eating healthily doesn’t mean giving up on all your favourite foods. Read through some of your favourite recipes and try to identify ways to make them healthier.

This could include adding extra fruit or veg, switching from white to brown rice or pasta, switching from cream to low fat yoghurt, reducing the amount of salt and sugar or switching to a healthier cooking method.

For more tips on how to improve your heart health, visit the ‘Healthy Tips’ page on our website and don’t forget to check out our new Cookbook.

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip: Get Moving

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Get moving

Over the past year, it is fair to say that plenty of us have become more sedentary due to the effects of COVID-19. All those extra hours spent watching Netflix, with reduced travel time to work, and no gyms or sports facilities available, has meant that we haven’t always been paying attention to our hearts.

Heart Research UK have some tips to break the cycle and get us moving anyway we can:

Tracking your step count

The majority of us nowadays have technology that calculates our step count, heart rate, sleep time, stress levels and more. Using your phone/watch to count your daily steps has been shown to increase how likely we are to meet daily physical activity guidelines, and lead to more successful weight-loss.

Most of us don’t realise how few steps we are taking per day, or the significant impact we can have on our step count with just a short walk. Setting yourself a daily step goal can be a great first step towards improving your heart health.

It is recommended to try aiming for 6000 steps per day to start with. You don’t need to achieve this all-in-one go, and it is possible to meet this goal through taking regular breaks and walking around your house.

Going to the supermarket tends to be one of the only times many of us leave the house nowadays. Have you considered taking a backpack and walking to the shop to do your shopping?

This will increase your step count and be a great way to fit in some physical activity which involves walking with additional weight.

If the supermarket is too far, why not drive part of the way there and walk the rest, or even park the furthest you can in the supermarket car park from the entrance. Every step counts!

Avoid the ‘All or Nothing Attitude’

Have you ever thought “I will do the washing today” and then time becomes a problem so you end up thinking “I will leave it all to tomorrow then”; This is an all or nothing attitude. Plenty of us have this approach to many things. A way to avoid this is to break jobs up into parts. You may not have had time to do all of the washing, but you could have done some of it.

This can also relate to exercise and being physically active. One of the biggest barriers against physical activity is time, in general we tend to think if we can’t do a whole 30 minutes or 1 hour straight of exercise then there’s no point doing it at all.

However, this isn’t true! The recommended amount of physical activity per week in the UK is 150 minutes. This can be made up however you like as long as your heart and breathing rate increase! It is suggested that we aim for 30 minutes 5 times per week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break up that 30 minutes into 3 x 10 minutes or even 6 x 5 minutes.

The key is to aim for little and often rather than all or nothing.

For example, why not try doing some calf raises whilst brushing your teeth, or some mini lunges whilst waiting for the kettle to boil? Most of us spend a lot of time sitting, whether that be watching TV, playing video games or working from home.

Set yourself a number of times per day that you need to stand up out of your chair. Before you walk away from the chair you could do 10 sit-to-stand exercises in a row, essentially this would be like doing 10 squats every time before you get out of your chair if you did this 5 times a day you would have achieved 50 squats!

For more ways to reduce sitting time follow https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/?tabname=exercise-tips.

Healthy Heart Tips: Move more when staying at home

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Move more when staying at home

Getting motivated to exercise outdoors during the cold, dark winter months can be challenging. Keeping physically active this winter, while the gyms and sports facilities are closed due to COVID-19, presents us with a unique challenge.

Regular physical activity is strongly associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as improving mental health. Even small increases in physical activity can positively impact on health. Heart Research UK have some tips to help you keep active when staying at home. 

Exercises you can do inside your home

Find exercises that you can do at home in short bursts of ten minutes or more, at regular intervals throughout the day. For example, you could try some gentle weight-lifting, using cans of baked beans. The NHS provide tips for exercising without gym equipment: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/gym-free-workouts/

Replace your daily commute with physical activity

If you are working, or studying from home, you may be saving time that would normally be spent on your daily commute. Why not put this time to good use by scheduling in some physical activity. For example, you could go for a brisk walk, jog or cycle outdoors or walk briskly around the house, including going up and down flights of stairs.  

Don’t be a couch potato

Rather than spending your evenings sitting on the sofa without moving much, why not try a few gentle exercises, such as leg raises, while watching your favourite TV show.

Examples of some exercises you can do from your sofa can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Documents/sofa-workout.jpg

Reduce screen time for kids

It is common for children and young people to spend too much time sitting in front of a screen. Why not talk to your children about the importance of staying active and agree on a set amount of screen time each day/week and schedule in some time for getting active?

You can find some fun indoor activities for kids on the Change 4 Life website: Indoor Activities for Kids | Kids’ Activities | Change4Life (www.nhs.uk)

Find hobbies that get you moving

If you tend to engage in hobbies that don’t require you to move very much, look for new hobbies that will get you moving, such as gardening, walking, weight-lifting or dancing.

Avoid long periods of inactivity

Set a timer to go off at specific times throughout the day to prompt you to do ten (or more) minutes of physical activity. Any activity is better than none. You can include a variety of light, moderate and vigorous activities. E.g. a brisk walk, sit-ups,
weight-lifting, gardening or housework.

Healthy Heart Tip: Make a plan to stop smoking

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK

Make a plan to stop smoking

Although rates of smoking have decreased in the UK in recent years, approximately 6.9 million people over the age of 18 are smokers. Smoking harms almost all organs in the body and it is a leading cause of preventable death.

Smoking can damage your heart and blood vessels, which increases your risk of having a heart attack. Quitting smoking can be difficult, but it is an important step for reducing your risk of heart disease. We provide some tips to help you stop smoking. 

List the reasons to stop smoking

If you want to stop smoking, an effective and simple thing you can do to stay on track is to write a list of the reasons why you wish to quit smoking. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, you can read this list and it should inspire you to keep going.

Decide when to stop

As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease will reduce. The sooner you decide to quit the better. Choose a date within the next two weeks. If you leave it too long, you will give yourself time to change your mind.

Make a plan

Make a plan to quit smoking and ask your friends, family and co-workers for their support. Identify triggers that make you want to smoke and work out how you will overcome them in advance. For example, if you usually smoke during your break at work, plan to go for a walk instead.

Manage your cravings

Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes. You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a cycle ride or a walk. Once the craving has passed, you can give yourself a pat on the back.

Get support

Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking or someone who is also trying to quit. You could also consider using a stop smoking aid, such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or nazal sprays to help stop the cravings.

You can get further support with stopping smoking from the NHS: 

https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree.

Heart Research UK Healthy Tips

Take a leaf out of Veganuary

The number of people following a vegan diet has risen in recent years and this month, many people are challenging themselves with ‘Veganuary’. A vegan diet contains only plant-based foods, such as grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. It is generally accepted that a vegan diet can offer benefits for the environment, animal welfare and your health.

The benefits of the vegan diet for your heart depends on which foods you choose and what else you do with your lifestyle. People who cut animal foods out of their diets tend to benefit from more fruit, veg and fibre and less saturated fat, with favourable blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Why not try out some of our Vegan inspired Healthy Heart Tips:

Try a new recipe

You can find lots of tasty vegan recipes online, such as on the BBC website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/vegan.

Oil up

Rapeseed oil, flaxseed oil, walnuts, green leafy vegetables and soya products contain omega-3 fat which, when swapped for foods high in saturated fat, like fatty meats and cheese, could help to protect your heart and arteries. To cut down on animal fats, why not try swapping minced beef in your recipes for lentils, beans or chickpeas.

Look for reinforcements

To make sure your body isn’t missing out on essential nutrients, a vegan diet needs to be well-planned and you might need to top up on some vitamins. This time of year when sunlight exposure is limited, everyone in the UK should consider taking a vitamin D supplement.

This is especially important if you’re cutting out animal products. You’ll also need to supplement on vitamin B12 as you can’t get this from plant-based foods. Check food labels for the word ‘fortified’- most vegan spreads, breakfast cereals and soya products have vitamin D, calcium and B12 added to them.

The Vegan Society provides information about good nutrition for people following a vegan diet. Take a look at: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/nutrients

The vegan diet isn’t the be all and end all to good health, but taking a leaf out of the vegan way could set you off in the right direction when it comes to heart health.

So why not give it a go, start with one meal a day or one day a week and see how you like it.