1 in 3 Adults in the UK have high bloody pressure and many don’t even know about it!!
This ‘Know Your Numbers’ Week, we’re encouraging everyone to take a few minutes to check their blood pressure. Masham Community Library will have a monitor available to use during this week and also have access to free blood pressure monitors that are available to borrow, making it easier to read into your health at home.
Blood Pressure UK is the country’s leading charity, providing information and support to people with high blood pressure. Visit their website here for more information – Click here
A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 or less, 140/90 is the level used to diagnose high blood pressure if it is consistently raised to this level or above. If you have raised blood pressure you should not ignore it and it’s important to consult with your GP and have further checks to properly diagnose and successfully treat it.
High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, meaning that many people can be living with it without knowing. The only reliable way to find out is to have regular checks. You can borrow a monitor from Masham Community Library or pop in during the upcoming Know Your Numbers Week for a quick check and more information.
High blood pressure can increase the likelihood of having a stroke or heart attack and is also a risk factor for kidney disease, dementia and other illnesses. By lowering it with some small lifestyle changes you can significantly reduce your risk of further health problems.
Eating more fruit and vegetables provides a good source of potassium, which helps to lower blood pressure. Salt is also proven to raise blood pressure and many of us have more salt in our diet than we realise, lowering this to less that 6g per adult is advised and monitoring this by checking food labels and not adding additional salt to foods can help. Drinking in moderation, loosing weight, being more active and medication can also improve your health.
For more information on how to lower your blood pressure – Click here
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