What is hypertension?
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high
Blood pressure is written as two numbers e.g. 120/80. The first (systolic) number represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart contracts or beats. The second (diastolic) number represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart rests between beats.
If you are under 80 years of age you are usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is either:
- 140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional
- 135/85 or higher when checked at home
What causes hypertension?
High blood pressure is very common, especially in older adults. There are usually no symptoms so you may not even know you have it. Things that increase your chances of having high blood pressure are:
- your age (you are more likely to develop it as you get older)
- having close relatives with high blood pressure
- your ethnicity (you are at higher risk if you have Black African, Black Caribbean, or South Asian ethnic background
- having an unhealthy diet – especially a diet that is high in salt
- being overweight
- smoking
- drinking too much alcohol
- feeling stressed over a long period
How can I reduce the numbers?
Lifestyle changes like eating a healthier diet, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption and being more physically active can help lower blood pressure however some people will need to take medication.