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High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, means your blood pressure is consistently too high and means that your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body. High Blood pressure isn’t usually something that you feel or notice, and it usually has no symptoms.
If it is not treated it significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure can also increase the risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and Dementia in later life. Hypertension is a very common condition and an estimated 5.5 million people have undiagnosed hypertension across the country. There are 150,000 people in the Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes region with diagnosed hypertension.
BLMK New Diagnosis Leaflet – (to follow)
You need to monitor your blood pressure but unsure how?
Download these leaflets on ‘how to measure your blood pressure at home’.
Video: Blood Pressure UK
Documenting blood pressure readings and submitting to the GP practice: Consider downloading this form and completing: Home_blood_pressure_diary.pdf (bihsoc.org)
The Blood Pressure UK team have created leaflets in 33 different languages. These leaflets include information on what high blood pressure is, how you can lower it, and how to measure it at home.
There are FREE NHS blood pressure checks available at your local community pharmacy for those over 40.
It is important to ensure when purchasing a blood pressure machine, that it is validated. Click here for a list of validated blood pressure machines.
Things that can be linked with high blood pressure:
- Eating too much salt;
- Not having a health well balanced diet;
- Being obese or overweight;
- Having a family history of high blood pressure;
- Drinking too much alcohol;
- Lack of physical activity.
Even if you do not have high blood pressure now, making small lifestyle changes can support preventing high blood pressure in the future.
Helpful information:
- Blood Pressure UK
- British Heart Foundation
- British and Irish Hypertension Society
- NHS – High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Stroke Association
- Diabetes UK
- Patient.Info – High Blood Pressure: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
