Next week is Know Your Numbers Week!, led by Blood Pressure UK.聽 The focus of this year鈥檚 campaign is monitoring your blood pressure at home. While taking your blood pressure every now and then can give you a snapshot of your health, consistent home monitoring gives a more accurate picture and helps you to track changes over time.
We will be running 15 minute blood pressure checks for staff to attend at the health and safety building on Highfield Campus on Wednesday 4th September. At these sessions, we can also talk you through how to take your blood pressure at home and the best times to do it. These were very popular last year and there are a limited number of slots, so book now to secure your place. .
Did you know that getting a blood pressure check is the first step to preventing heart attacks and strokes? According to the NHS, up to 4.2 million people in England could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure and those experiencing high blood pressure often have no symptoms.
High blood pressure is a major cause of these diseases but usually has no symptoms until it鈥檚 too late, which is why it鈥檚 known as 鈥榯he silent killer鈥�. Knowing your numbers means you can start making healthy lifestyle changes or begin taking medicines if you need them to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level.
Deborah Gill, Vice President (Education & Student Experience) said 鈥淎s a former GP, I would strongly encourage colleagues to take ten minutes out of their day to get their blood pressure checked and to find out about what you can do to prevent high blood pressure and monitor your own readings at home, it鈥檚 easy and painless.
“Sometimes high blood pressure is related to lifestyle but just as often it is hereditary or develops for no clear reason. It’s rare to get symptoms from high blood pressure, so it often goes undetected for many years and is only discovered once damage has been done. If you do one thing this year to look after your health, particularly if you are over 40 or have a sedentary lifestyle, get your blood pressure checked.鈥�
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