Health Blood pressure
How to be blood pressureaware
According to the British Heart Foundation half of people with high blood pressure aren’t diagnosed or receiving any treatment. Here’s what you should know
Blood pressure is exactly what it sounds like – it’s the pressure of the blood in your arteries. You need some pressure to make sure your blood is carried from your heart to your brain and other parts of your body. When your heart muscle contracts to pump out blood your blood pressure is at its highest – this is known as systolic blood pressure. And when it relaxes and fills up with blood again, your blood pressure is at its lowest (diastolic blood pressure). So when you see a blood pressure reading of one number
over another (120/80 for example), it represents your systolic pressure over your diastolic pressure measured in milligrams of mercury (mmHg). According to Blood Pressure UK, here’s how to interpret a blood pressure reading:
• Low blood pressure is below 90/60 • Ideal blood pressure is between 90/60 and 120/80 • Pre-high blood pressure is between 120/80 and 140/90 • High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher
Also called hypertension, high blood pressure is very common and can affect anyone, though it becomes more common with age. Other things that can contribute to high
40 All About health
blood pressure include smoking, being overweight, eating too much salt, drinking too much alcohol, being deprived of sleep over a long period and being inactive. If you’re of African or Caribbean origin your risk of developing high blood pressure may be higher too. If it isn’t treated high blood pressure can lead to health
problems in the future because it puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels, making them weaker or damaged. This is why high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack
or heart failure. It’s also a leading cause of strokes, and according to Blood Pressure UK it has been linked to some forms of dementia. High blood pressure can cause kidney disease too, plus it can affect your limbs, causing peripheral arterial disease (this is a condition that can affect your legs). Meanwhile if you have other health conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol, having high blood pressure can further increase your risk of health problems.
Are you under pressure? There are rarely any signs or symptoms of high blood pressure, which may explain why many people have it but
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