Know Your Numbers Week – 9-15 September
Each year Know Your Numbers Week revolved around a different number related to your health and wellbeing. This year blood pressure numbers are brought to the forefront.
Keeping fit and healthy to ensure you can perform to the best of your ability in the workplace and also enjoy your later years. Keeping an eye on your numbers is key to living a long and healthy life for as long as possible.
Taking care of your health and wellbeing means eating a healthy and balanced diet, not smoking and keeping active. However, maintaining an understanding of your numbers is also vital to keeping well.
You could be forgiven for not knowing if you have an unhealthy or potentially dangerous blood pressure, as this has no symptoms. This is why it is so important to ensure you have it measured regularly; especially if you have a history of high blood pressure.
Having a high blood pressure can raise your risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as other illnesses. Approximately 33% of people in the UK have high blood pressure and are unaware of it.
As a general guide:
- Ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 120/80mmHg
- High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher
- Low blood pressure is considered to be 90/60mmHG or lower
Your blood pressure can be measured at your doctor’s surgery, or blood pressure monitors can be bought and used in the home.
Ensuring that you have a healthy blood pressure could save your life. It will give you the opportunity to take action if your numbers are not within the healthy range.
