One in three adults have blood pressure problems and one in three of those people dont even know they have it! It pays to have regular blood pressure checks as you get older.

A healthy blood pressure is a level of 120/80 or less. the lower you can get it the better. The first figure is the systolic pressure when you heart is pushing blood around your body and the second figure the diastolic pressure which is the pressure measured when your heart relaxes. Doctor's use the figure of 140/90 to diagnose high blood pressure for everyone no matter what their age, sex, medical history etc.

Blood pressure [also referred to as Hypertension] is the pressure of blood in the arteries. If it is too high, over a period of time and it is not treated, you are more likely to have a stroke or heart attack. People with high blood pressure also have a higher risk of heart and kidney failure. The main issue with blood pressure is that it often has no noticeable symptoms, which is why the individual does not feel ill or realise thay have a problem, for this reason it is often referred to as the "Silent Killer".

For most people there is no definitive reason or cause for them developing high blood pressure, it can affect everyone, however some factors do make high blood pressure more likely:

1] - If you have a family history of high blood pressure, stroke or heart attack.

2] - If you are of African or Caribbean descent

3] - If you are of South Asian descent you are more at risk of diabetes and heart diesease.

4] - Being overweight

5] - Eating too much salt

6] - Drinking over the recommended alcohol limits

7] - Doing too little exercise

8] - Not eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables

9] - Age - in general blood pressure rises as you get older.

The more of these factors you have the more likely you are to develop blood pressure and if it is not treated the more likely it will develop into a life threatening condition.

By changing your life style you can lower your blood pressure without medication. That said if you are prescribed medicine you should take it as directed by your doctor. However, the following tips will help reduce your blood pressure and working with your Doctor you may eventually be able to reduce or cease medication.

1] - eat lots of fruit and vegetables - ideally 7-9 portions a day

2] - Eat less than 6g of salt daily. Do not add salt to food and check hidden salt in processed foods such as cereal, meat, cheese, tinned foods.

3] - Do 30 minutes exercise 5 times a week. Try and build this into your daily life. Walk to work, use stairs instead of lifts. Cycle to work etc

4] - check alcohol consumption does not exceed recommended limits.

5] - If you are overweight - try to loose weight. Even 10lbs will make a huge difference. Try to get to the right weight for your height.

6] - Dont smoke/ Give up smoking.

7] - Monitor levels of saturated fat in foods. Try to avoid food where the fat content is more than 3g fat per 100 calories.

By following these tips your blood pressure can be reduced and the more serious consequences of blood pressure averted.

Good health to all!

Learn more about this author, Suzie Bluze.
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