FAQs

1. Everyone has heard of high blood pressure, but what exactly is it?

   As blood is pumped around your body by your heart, it pushes against the walls of your blood vessels - this force is your blood pressure, and if the force of the blood goes above the normal level, it is known as high blood pressure.

2. What is normal blood pressure?

   A normal or healthy blood pressure level to have is 120/80mmHg. High blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher.

3. Blood pressure is given as one number over another. What's the difference?

   The top number shows the systolic blood pressure - the pressure when the heart is at its peak of squeezing the blood around the body. The bottom number is the diastolic blood pressure - the smaller pressure you get when your heart is resting between beats. It is the systolic pressure that's generally considered to give the better indication of whether you're at risk of heart attack or stroke.

4. Can I reduce the risks from high blood pressure without medication?

   Yes, although it depends on how high your blood pressure is and how well it responds to the lifestyle changes that you make. Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. By making healthy lifestyle choices, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.

5. What foods should I avoid if I want to reduce the amount of salt in my diet?

   Processed foods tend to have a high salt content. For example, a supermarket own brand of baked beans may contain up to 3.2g of salt (53 per cent of recommended maximum daily salt intake for an adult). There may be up to 0.62g salt per slice of thick sliced bread. That means a sandwich contains more salt than two packets of crisps in the bread alone. And a 30g serving of popular cereals contains 0.7g salt - one and a half times as much salt as is found in a packet of crisps.

6. Should I have my cholesterol levels checked too?

   If you're found to have high blood pressure, the chances are that your doctor will take a look at any other risk factors you might for heart disease and stroke. These include raised cholesterol, which can be checked for with a simple blood test. If you're found to have both high blood pressure and high cholesterol, your risk is multiplied.

7. Will I always need to take medication for my high blood pressure?

   Yes - there is no cure for high blood pressure, so once your blood pressure has risen to the level of needing drug treatment, it's likely you'll have to take the medication for the rest of your life to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy. If you stop taking medication, the chances are that your blood pressure will rise.

8. Why me?

   Getting a diagnosis of high blood pressure can be quite a shock, perhaps leaving you feeling out of control. Face up to your diagnosis and start thinking about the solutions. If you feel you need support, there are lots of online forums where you can discuss your feelings with other people in the same boat.

9. Am I still at risk of a heart attack or stroke even when I'm taking treatment for my high blood pressure?

   Although you can't eliminate the risk altogether, managing high blood pressure will markedly reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

10. How much exercise should I take?

    Exercise helps control your blood pressure and you should continue to exercise regularly whether or not you're taking tablets for your high blood pressure. You should be aiming for 30 minutes of exercise at least five times a week. Choose activities that get you slightly out of breath. Walking, swimming, cycling arte all good examples, but if you haven't done much exercise for a while, build it up slowly.