The vast majority of heart conditions are the result of ageing and environmental factors. We can help you address your lifestyle to manage your risk.
Many habits can increase one’s risk of developing a heart condition. Fundamental changes can target and eliminate these risks to help improve your heart health and overall longevity.
It’s easy to fall into bad habits when you’re busy, stressed or otherwise not at your best, but there are ways to improve your daily routine and reach your optimal health goals.
Dr Ravi Assomull, Consultant Cardiologist and Founder
Video FAQs
View our short videos designed specifically to answer your questions
Summary
In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains the concept of heart rate variability (HRV): a vital marker of your heart and nervous system health. Learn how HRV is influenced by stress, recovery, fitness and sleep, and how wearable devices like the Apple Watch can be used to track it.
Transcript
Did you know that your heart doesn't beat like a perfect drum? The time between each heartbeat naturally varies and that's actually a good thing. We refer to this as heart rate variability or HRV. You can measure your HRV with wearable devices such as the Apple Watch. HRV is a powerful measure of how well your body can adapt to stress, exercise and everyday life. It's controlled by your autonomic nervous system which has two parts: the sympathetic nervous system, your fight or flight response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, your rest and recover response. HRV reflects how well these two systems are working together to keep you balanced. When it comes to fitness, HRV can be a game changer. A high HRV means your body is ready to handle stress and intense exercise. A low HRV means it might be better to rest and focus on recovery. Tracking your HRV can help you fine-tune your workouts, prevent overtraining and even spot signs of stress early. Plus, things like better sleep, mindfulness and stress management can all boost your HRV and your overall health. If you notice anything in your HRV or are unsure what the numbers mean, it's important to check in with a cardiologist. They can help you understand your numbers and guide you on the next best steps.
Summary
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the natural variation in time between each heartbeat. While often tracked by smartwatches to indicate fitness levels or stress, its clinical significance in cardiovascular health remains limited. Dr Ravi Assomull shares his expert view on HRV and recommends more established diagnostic tools for assessing true heart health.
Transcript
Heart rate variability refers to the slight fluctuations in time between each heartbeat. It's a very popular mechanism employed in typically tracking devices, smart watches, and the belief is that it gives you an idea of how fit you are. Certainly, we know that as you get older your heart rate variability drops. If you are stressed or down with a viral infection, it tends to drop. My view on heart rate variability is it's a very personal thing and it's something you can use to track how well you are generally. In terms of your overall cardiovascular health, there are more established ways of looking into this, which we can certainly help you with if you were to come and see us.
Summary
Being overweight is directly linked to higher risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even certain cancers. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains how excess weight affects your cardiovascular system and overall health.
Transcript
If you're overweight, you should be worried about your heart health, but should also be worried about your general health. Being overweight is associated with increased risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, but also other conditions such as diabetes, and it does increase your risk of cancer as well. So the answer is if you are overweight, you should worry about your overall health and definitely your heart health. Being overweight puts you at increased risk of cardiovascular problems, of heart issues, because it is associated with increased blood pressure. Being overweight also increases your risk of diabetes, which in itself is a big risk factor for heart conditions. Being overweight is also associated with high levels of cholesterol, which is another risk factor for heart problems. All of these risk factors, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and being overweight are grouped together in a condition that we refer to as the metabolic syndrome.
Summary
Being overweight increases your risk of developing cardiovascular conditions because it can lead to high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. These factors commonly occur together in what’s known as metabolic syndrome, a key driver of heart disease. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains how excess weight can contribute to cardiac risk.
Transcript
So being overweight puts you at increased risk of cardiovascular problems, of heart issues, because it is associated with increased blood pressure. Being overweight also increases your risk of diabetes, which in itself is a big risk factor for heart conditions. Being overweight is also associated with high levels of cholesterol, which is another risk factor for heart problems. All of these risk factors, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and being overweight are grouped together in a condition that we refer to as the metabolic syndrome.
Summary
Occasional extra heartbeats, or palpitations, are common and usually harmless: often linked to stress, caffeine, or poor sleep. However, in individuals with a history of heart disease or a family predisposition, they could indicate a more serious issue. Dr Ravi Assomull explains when to be reassured and when to seek expert advice.
Transcript
Extra heartbeats is something that we all get. More often than not, they're nothing to be worried about. They are described as a feeling of a skipped beat or you may feel fluttering in your chest. Typically, they're associated with stress or anxiety. They're also potentially triggered by too much alcohol, coffee, a lack of sleep, and we tend to reassure anyone like you, who gets them that they are nothing to worry about. They are of more concern if you were to tell me that you've got a family history of heart problems or if you already have known problems with your heart, if you've had a heart attack in the past or any problems with heart failure, but in general, they tend to be something that we can reassure you about.
Summary
Coronary artery disease develops over years as fatty deposits (plaques) build up in the walls of the arteries. When these plaques become significantly narrowed or rupture suddenly, they can cause reduced blood flow — or in the case of a rupture, a heart attack. Dr Ravi Assomull outlines how lifestyle and genetics influence plaque development and risk.
Transcript
The arteries in your heart gradually, even from your teen years, start accumulating fatty deposits in the wall. Now that's a very gradual process that goes on from year to year and decade to decade. How fast that progresses depends on a variety of factors, including your genetics, your lifestyle, whether you smoke, what you eat. And typically it really takes a narrowing of around seventy to 80% before you get reduction in the blood that to the heart muscle and you exert yourself. Another type of blockage is slightly different. That's when a small, minor narrowing suddenly becomes an acute hundred percent occlusion of an artery, and that's really what causes a heart attack. And typically what happens is one of these fatty plaques tears, it ruptures, and that creates a coagulation cascade, which basically means you get a blood clot blocking the vessel and causing complete loss of blood supply to heart muscle; and that results in the dreaded heart attack.
Summary
Psychological stress is a well-recognised contributor to heart disease and it can elevate blood pressure. Stress may also lead to a condition called stress cardiomyopathy, which can mimic a heart attack. This condition affects up to 5000 people in the UK every year. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull discusses how chronic stress affects cardiovascular health and why stress management is essential for long-term prevention.
Transcript
Stress is a big contributor to heart problems. Stress itself can raise your blood pressure, which we know increases your risk of heart problems significantly. The problem is there's no way of easily quantifying the contribution that stress makes to your overall risk for heart. We know, in very rare cases, you can get something called a stress cardiomyopathy where stress causes almost what looks and feels like a heart attack, where the heart stops working transiently. But that tends to be very rare. But in general, stress is something that we do recommend that you try to address to reduce your overall risk of heart problems in the future.
Book your consultation with Dr Ravi Assomull today
Looking after your heart is the most important thing you can do to improve your longevity and quality of life in the long term.
We’re here for you during your journey to better heart health. We provide tests and management strategies to help identify what might be wrong and where you can improve your lifestyle to reach prime heart health.
Book an appointment today to speak to our expert Integrative Cardiologist, Dr Ravi Assomull, about your heart concerns.
You can email us at: enquiries@cardiologist.london
Or call us at: 020 3576 2885