Health, Fitness, Beauty and Wellbeing – September 2024
Find out about many of the businesses in Driffield and the Wolds which can help you look and feel your best.
Our Health, Fitness, Beauty and Wellbeing features run regularly in the Driffield & Wolds Weekly. Contact advertising@driffieldwoldsweekly.co.uk for details of how to get your business involved
When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? Around one in three people in the UK have high blood pressure, and around six million people are unaware that they have it.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, often doesn’t have any symptoms meaning that you wouldn’t know you had it unless you got it checked by a health professional or checked it yourself.
Several different factors affect your blood pressure, including physical activity, diet and genetics.
Following a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle can impact your blood pressure readings.
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood on the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood around your body.
Systolic blood pressure is the first (or top) reading that you get on the BP monitor and the higher number of the two. This is the maximum reading recorded when your heart contracts.
Diastolic blood pressure is the second (or bottom) reading that’s on the monitor. This is the minimum recorded reading when your heart relaxes prior to the next contraction.
Blood pressure readings
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm/Hg) and is written in a form of systolic over diastolic.
A reading below the healthy range is classed as having low blood pressure, and a reading from 121-140 systolic or 81-90 mm/Hg diastolic is within a raised range.
If your blood pressure is above this, then you have high blood pressure and need to visit your GP. High readings range from 141-160 systolic or 91-100 mm/Hg diastolic, with very high readings being anything above 160 or above 100 mm/Hg.
Risks of hypertension
Having high blood pressure increases your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure damages the walls of your blood vessels, which results in plaque build-up and can lead to coronary heart disease or strokes.
It also damages the heart muscle due to it needing to work overtime, which can lead to heart failure.
Reducing your blood pressure
Physical activity and exercise are one of the best ways to strengthen your heart and reduce your blood pressure. Aim to carry out at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
Dietary factors such as consuming high amounts of salt and sugar increase your blood pressure and can influence weight gain.
Consuming too much alcohol and smoking can increase your blood pressure too, so reducing these and stopping where possible will help your heart massively.
