Teen Habits that Impact Heart Health

It is easy to forget that your heart is a muscle, and like any muscle, the way you treat your body affects how well it works. Most teens know that heart disease is something adults commonly worry about, but many do not realize that the early stages can begin during adolescence. The choices you make now shape your long‑term health, even if the effects are not automatically present right away. Understanding how everyday habits affect your heart health can help you build routines that protect you now and in the future.

What you eat daily holds a significant role in how healthy your heart is. A diet filled with added sugars, processed foods, and unhealthy fats can raise LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol), increase body fat, and make it harder for your body to use insulin (leading to insulin resistance). These are all early warning signs for heart disease (Eat for Health, n.d.). Not consuming many fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also removes important nutrients that work to help protect your heart from inflammation and plaque buildup in the arteries. Since eating habits formed in your teen years often continue into adulthood, continuous unhealthy patterns can make heart problems more likely to occur later on (Daly et al., 2024).

Regular exercise helps your heart stay strong and healthy. Many teens do not get enough physical activity daily, which can ultimately lead to higher blood pressure and more body fat. Exercise improves blood flow, strengthens the heart muscle, and helps balance cholesterol and glucose levels (Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d.). Sitting for long periods, especially during screen time, reduces blood flow throughout the body and contributes to early risk factors for heart disease. Teens who move less and spend more time on their screens have a higher risk of heart disease (AHA, 2025).

Screen time is part of everyday life, but excessive screen time can negatively affect your heart in ways you might not expect. Long hours on phones, laptops, or TVs usually mean less physical activity and more sitting. High screen time is also linked to poor sleep quality and higher obesity risk. When screen use replaces movement or disrupts your sleep schedule, it can indirectly harm your heart over time (AHA, 2025).

Sleep is one of the most important parts of staying healthy because it gives your body a chance to recharge. Most teens need about eight to ten hours of sleep each night, but a lot don’t get enough. Not sleeping enough can make you feel more stressed, mess with your mood, and even make it harder to focus at school. It can also affect things like your weight and physical health (Sleep Foundation, 2024).

Nicotine also harms the heart no matter how it is consumed. Smoking and vaping both damage blood vessels, reduce oxygen flow, and raise heart rate and blood pressure. Starting these habits early in your teenage years increases the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life. Many teens believe vaping is safer, but research shows that it causes similar cardiovascular effects (Fromson, 2025).

Chronic stress during adolescence can raise blood pressure and lead to unhealthy coping habits such as overeating or drinking too much caffeine. High stress levels have been linked to obesity and hypertension in adulthood (Nogueira-de-Almeida et al., 2024). Drinking energy drinks or lots of caffeine can make your heart beat faster and raise your blood pressure. How you feel mentally and emotionally also affects your heart, so learning to handle stress is important for staying healthy (Berg, 2025).

Your teen years are when habits really start to stick, and those habits can shape your heart health for years to come. That’s why it’s important to start making good choices early, like eating healthy foods, staying active, getting enough sleep, avoiding nicotine, and finding ways to handle stress. Even small changes now can make it easier to feel better and stay healthy as you get older. Taking care of your heart today sets you up for a healthier future.

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Works Cited:

American Heart Association. (2025, August 6). Excessive screen time among youth may pose heart health risks https://newsroom.heart.org/news/excessive-screen-time-among-youth-may-pose-heart-health-risks

Berg, S. (2025, July 25). What doctors wish patients knew about the impact of caffeine. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-impact-caffeine

Daly, A. N., Kearney, J. M., & O’Sullivan, E. J. (2024). The underlying role of food guilt in adolescent food choice: A potential conceptual model for adolescent food choice negotiations under circumstances of conscious internal conflict. Appetite, 192, 107094. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666323025564.

Eat for Health. (n.d.). Fat, salt, sugars and alcohol. Australian Government. www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/fat-salt-sugars-and-alcohol.

Fromson, N. (2025, February 26). Why vaping is bad for your heart. Michigan Medicine Health Lab. https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/why-vaping-bad-your-heart.

Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Exercise and the heart. www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercise-and-the-heart.

Nogueira-de-Almeida, C. A., Alberto, C., de Mello, E. D., & de Almeida-de-Oliveira, E. (2024). What causes obesity in children and adolescents? Jornal de Pediatria, 100(S1), S48–S56. doi.org https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021755723001274.