High Blood Pressure

Why is high blood pressure important?

Although often symptomless, high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. High blood pressure is also called hypertension.

More information about high blood pressure is available on the British Heart Foundation website here

How can I lower my blood pressure?

Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help reduce blood pressure, although for some people high blood pressure runs in families and can also increase as we get older.

The following lifestyle changes can contribute to lowering your blood pressure:

• Maintaining a healthy weight (body mass index between 18.5-24.9). To calculate your BMI click here
• Aerobic exercise (exercise which gets the heart pumping) 30 minutes per day for five days a week. Visit here for more information about the types of activities which count.
• Keeping alcohol intake within the recommended limits. More information about alcohol units is available here
• Reducing salt intake in the diet
• Adopting a Mediterranean style diet, the DASH diet in particular has been shown to reduce high blood pressure
• Not smoking

Information regarding local support with adopting a healthier lifestyle is available on the One You South Gloucestershire page here

Why might I be recommended a medicine to treat my high blood pressure?

• your blood pressure is too high and requires lowering quickly
• if lifestyle changes are not enough
• your overall risk for heart attacks or stroke is too high. Your overall risk will consider a range of factors such as: your cholesterol level, blood pressure, weight, smoking status, age, gender and the presence of other conditions such as diabetes. National guidance recommends treatment with medicine if your risk is 10% (10 people in 100) or greater of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years.

There are lots of medicines used to treat high blood pressure, your GP, nurse or pharmacist can discuss with you what would be recommended for you. Further information is available from the British Heart Foundation here

Measuring your Blood Pressure at Home

For information on how to measure your blood pressure at home, read the British Heart Foundation information here and record your readings on the sheet below and send in to us for the GP to review

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Sheet

Please take your blood pressure (BP) twice a day for three days

Each time:

• Sit down, relax take the measurements
• Wait two minutes then do it again

Name:

Date of Birth:

Address: