The numbers that could save your life
High blood pressure affects 3 in 10 people in the UK – it’s a serious condition which increases your risk of having a stroke or a heart attack and it lowers your life expectancy.
It may sound obvious, but the first step to addressing high blood pressure is to know that you’ve got it.
June Davison is a Cardiac Nurse with the British Heart Foundation, she says this is a big problem, "it’s really important that everybody should know what their blood pressure is and this is because it doesn’t necessarily have symptoms. The only way of knowing that you’ve got it is to get it checked out at your surgery and I’d really encourage people to go and get theirs checked."
If your parents have high blood pressure, you may be more likely to have it. Also, the older you get, the greater your chances of developing it. 6 out of 10 people over the age of 65 have high blood pressure. Younger people shouldn’t be complacent though – it affects people of all ages.
High blood pressure can be either prevented or controlled and reduced through simple lifestyle adjustments.These include regular exercise – just 30 minutes brisk walking every day can significantly help lowering blood pressure.
Your weight plays a big role too. If you are overweight, losing a few pounds will help.
Dietary changes such as reducing your salt intake and alcohol consumption, whilst increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat will all have a positive effect on your blood pressure.
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What should your blood pressure be?
June Davison says the average target for adults in this country is to have their blood pressure lower than 140 over 85. The target is even lower if you’ve got heart problems, or if you’ve got diabetes. In that instance it should be 130 over 80.
For a list of validated blood pressure monitors, visit the British Hypertension Society at www.bhsoc.org
For information and advice about getting your blood pressure checked, go to www.bhf.org.uk
