Blood Pressure
Many people have high blood pressure without realising it. It can lead to serious health problems if left untreated. The only way to know is to get your blood pressure checked.
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries (tubes that carry blood from your heart, to the brain and to the rest of the body).
Your blood pressure naturally goes up and down throughout the day and night, and it’s normal for it to go up while you’re moving about.
If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs such as your brain, kidneys and eyes.
If high blood pressure is not treated, it can increase your risk of serious conditions such as:
Lowering your blood pressure even a small amount can help reduce your risk of these problems.
Check if you're at risk of high blood pressure
Things that increase your chances of having high blood pressure include:
- your age – you're more likely to get high blood pressure as you get older
- having close relatives with high blood pressure
- your ethnicity – you're at higher risk if you have a Black African, Black Caribbean or South Asian ethnic background
- having an unhealthy diet – especially a diet that's high in salt
- being overweight
- smoking
- drinking too much alcohol
- feeling stressed over a long period
How do you know if you have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure does not usually cause any symptoms. Many people have it without realising it.
Rarely, high blood pressure can cause symptoms such as:
- headaches
- blurred vision
- chest pain
But the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked.
Where can you get a blood pressure check?
You can get your blood pressure checked at:
- your GP Practice
- some pharmacies – offer free blood pressure checks for people aged 40 or over
- a self-service kiosk – available now at some Idea Stores (Bow, Chrisp Street and Watney Market) and Mile End Leisure Centre.
- if you’re a healthy adult aged 40 to 74, you’ll be invited to a free NHS Health Checkby your GP practice every five years, which will include a blood pressure check.
- community events – keep an eye out for blood pressure checks
What can you do to help lower your blood pressure?
Healthy lifestyle changes and taking blood pressure medicines can help lower your blood pressure.
Try
- to have a healthy, balanced diet
- to exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week e.g. brisk walking
- to reduce your weight if you're overweight
Try not
- to eat too much salt – avoid salty food or adding salt to your meals
- to drink too much alcohol – avoid drinking more than 14 alcohol units a week on a regular basis
- to drink too much caffeine – drinks high in caffeine include coffee, tea and fizzy drinks such as cola
- to smoke
Medicines for high blood pressure
A GP will usually prescribe medicine for high blood pressure if:
- your blood pressure is very high
- you're at higher risk of problems linked to high blood pressure, such as a heart attack or stroke
- your blood pressure is still high after making healthy lifestyle changes
There are lots of different medicines for high blood pressure. The medicine recommended for you depends on things like how high your blood pressure is, your age and your ethnicity.
Find out more
You can get more information and advice about high blood pressure from:
For translated information in community languages (Bengali, Somali, and more)
If you already have a diagnosis of high blood pressure – there is support available locally
- Good Moves programme is a social and holistic eight-week course designed to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Tower Hamlets with long-term health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes etc. You can sign-up for the next course via the