Video: How to reduce blood pressure
Granskad av Dr Sarah JarvisSenast uppdaterad av Dr Yassir Javaid, MRCGPSenast uppdaterad 2 Nov 2017
Uppfyller patientens redaktionella riktlinjer
- Ladda nerLadda ner
- Dela
- Language
- Diskussion
- Ljudversion
- Lägg till i föredragna källor på Google
A collection of frequently asked questions about blood pressure, answered by our experts. Why is it such a major contributing factor to heart disease and what lifestyle changes might you need to adopt if yours is high?
Sponsrad
Patient recommends... Hilo
Track your blood pressure continuously, day and night - without an inflatable cuff. Traditional cuffs capture just one moment, if you remember to use them. Hilo takes about 25 readings a day, revealing how stress, meals, and activity affect your blood pressure so you can make informed choices for your wellbeing.
› Shop now
Playlist: High Blood Pressure Q&A
4 videos
What is considered high blood pressure?
Dr Yassir Javaid, MRCGP
What is considered high blood pressure?
Dr. Yassir Javaid, MRCGP
How serious is high blood pressure?
Dr. Yassir Javaid, MRCGP
What can you do to lower your blood pressure?
Dr. Yassir Javaid, MRCGP
Can you test your blood pressure at home?
Dr. Yassir Javaid, MRCGP
What is considered high blood pressure?
Dr Yassir Javaid, GP, Cardiology Specialist
To have high blood pressure, your blood pressure needs to be high most of the time. That means a reading of 135/85 mm Hg if you're taking a reading at home, or 140/90 mm Hg if it's done at the surgery. That doesn't necessarily mean you need treatment, unless you have other risk factors such as previously having a hjärtattack, diabetes eller kidney disease.
If your blood pressure is significantly higher than that - so more than 160/100 mm Hg at your GP surgery or 150/95 mm Hg at home - then perhaps we should be considering treatment, even if you don't have any other risk factors. There are lots of things you can do to reduce your blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle and medication on top of that if required.
How serious is high blood pressure?
Dr Yassir Javaid, GP, Cardiology Specialist
High blood pressure can be serious, if it's high most of the time. Having a high one-off blood pressure reading may not be of much concern because we know that blood pressure can fluctuate throughout the day and even between days.
That's why it's so important to check your blood pressure on a daily basis for at least a week, twice a day. And probably twice at each sitting, ignoring that first reading. Having a blood pressure that's high all of the time or an average blood pressure reading of more than 135/85 mm Hg can increase your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.
What can you do to lower your blood pressure?
Dr Yassir Javaid, GP, Cardiology Specialist
It's really important to lower your blood pressure because having a consistently high blood pressure does increase your risk of serious disease.
Thankfully there are lots of simple things that you can do, like being more active. The advice is to do 30 minutes or exercise per day for around five days to a week, and you can break that down into portions of ten minutes. That will also help with weight loss which is another important thing to address to help lower blood pressure.
In terms of the diet we know that reducing your salt intake to just one teaspoon a day (approximately 6 g) can also really help keep that blood pressure down.
Can you test your blood pressure at home?
Dr Yassir Javaid, GP, Cardiology Specialist
I would strongly encourage taking your blood pressure at home. In fact there is really good evidence that taking your blood pressure at home on a regular basis is a far more accurate reflection of your day-to-day blood pressure than, for instance, having a one-off reading taken at your GP surgery.
Having your blood pressure taken at the surgery is probably the worst time, because you may have waited 30 minutes in a very busy and noisy waiting room, and that anxiety can drive up your blood pressure. So the advice is now to take your blood pressure twice a day for at least a week, twice at each time. Ignore the first reading because it's always going to be high because of the stress of just taking your blood pressure.
Patientval för Högt blodtryck
Hjärthälsa och blodkärl
Högt blodtryck i mitten av 30-årsåldern kan krympa din hjärna
A rise in blood pressure between your 30s and 40s is linked to poorer brain health in later life, suggest researchers at University College London.
av Ashwin Bhandari
Hjärthälsa och blodkärl
På uppgång: vad orsakar högt blodtryck hos unga vuxna
High blood pressure is affecting the under 50s more and more frequently - but why? We explore the lifestyle habits among Millennials that may be responsible for this rise. Whatever your age, by addressing these causes of high blood pressure, you can help keep your blood pressure healthy and try to avoid the serious health issues it can lead to.
av Lynn Stephen
Vanliga frågor
What is the recommended approach for taking home blood pressure readings accurately?
To get accurate home readings, it's advised to measure your blood pressure twice a day for at least a week. At each session, take two readings and disregard the first one. This helps account for the temporary rise in blood pressure that can occur due to the stress of starting the measurement.
What are the specific blood pressure thresholds that indicate a need for treatment, even without other risk factors?
If your blood pressure readings are consistently above 160/100 mm Hg at a GP surgery, or above 150/95 mm Hg when measured at home, treatment might be considered even if you don't have additional risk factors like a history of heart attack, diabetes, or kidney disease.
How important is daily monitoring of blood pressure, and for how long should I do it?
It is very important to check your blood pressure daily. You should aim to do this for at least a week, taking readings twice a day. This helps create an accurate picture of your average blood pressure over time, which is more reliable than a single measurement.
How much exercise is recommended to help lower blood pressure?
For lowering blood pressure, it's recommended to do 30 minutes of exercise per day, for about five to seven days a week. You can break this down into shorter ten-minute sessions throughout the day.
What is the recommended daily salt intake to help manage blood pressure?
Reducing your salt intake is beneficial for managing blood pressure. The advice is to limit your daily salt consumption to approximately one teaspoon, which is about 6 grams.
Om författarenVisa fullständig biografi
Dr Yassir Javaid, MRCGP
Cardiovascular lead Nene CCG, Primary Care Cardiovascular lead, East Midlands Clinical Network
MBBChir, MA, MRCP, MRCGP, DRCOG, DipCard
Dr Javaid qualified from Cambridge University and completed his GP VTS training in Northampton.
Om recensentenVisa fullständig biografi
Dr Sarah Jarvis
Klinisk konsult
MA (Cantab), BM, BCh (Oxon), DRCOG, FRCGP, MBE
Efter att ha utbildat sig i medicin vid Cambridge och Oxford blev Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE allmänläkare.
Artikelhistorik
Informationen på denna sida är granskad av kvalificerade kliniker.
Artikeln finns också på Engelska, Tyska, Spanska, Franska, Italienska, Portugisiska, Hindi, Hebreiska, Arabiska, och Svenska.
2 Nov 2017 | Senaste versionen
Fråga, dela, anslut.
Bläddra i diskussioner, ställ frågor och dela erfarenheter inom hundratals hälsorelaterade ämnen.
Känner du dig sjuk?
Bedöm dina symtom online gratis
Anmäl dig till Patientens nyhetsbrev
Din veckovisa dos av tydliga, pålitliga hälsoråd - skrivna för att hjälpa dig känna dig informerad, självsäker och i kontroll.
Genom att prenumerera accepterar du våra Sekretesspolicy. Du kan avsluta prenumerationen när som helst. Vi säljer aldrig dina uppgifter.
Mer om hjärthälsa och blodkärl
- 8 enkla steg för att förbättra din cirkulation
- Har jag en panikattack eller en hjärtattack?
- Anatomi av hjärtat och blodkärlen
- Alternativ för förebyggande av stroke vid förmaksflimmer
- Being 'pear-shaped' may lower risk of heart disease in women
- Blodtryck: förstå dina avläsningar
- DASH-diet - hälsosam kost som hjälper till att sänka blodtrycket
- Högt blodtryck i mitten av 30-årsåldern kan krympa din hjärna
- Hur påverkar en stroke ditt sexliv?
- NyHur värmeböljor påverkar ditt blodtryck
- Hur man hanterar stress när man lever med kardiomyopati
- Hur du skyddar ditt hjärta under vintern
- Hur din kost påverkar ditt hjärta
- Sömnlöshet kopplad till ökad risk för hjärtsjukdomar och stroke
- Is cardiomyopathy genetically inherited?
- På uppgång: vad orsakar högt blodtryck hos unga vuxna
- UppdateradVikten av att lära sig hjärt-lungräddning
- Vad orsakar dina kalla händer och fötter?
- Vilka livsmedel hjälper till att sänka blodtrycket?
- Varför könsskillnader i hjärtsjukdomar kostar kvinnor livet