In Lincolnshire, more than 17% of people have high blood pressure that we know about. But 6 million people in the UK don鈥檛 know they have it and there are often no symptoms.
Know Your Numbers Week runs from 2 鈥� 8 September and encourages people to get their blood pressure checked to help prevent heart attacks, strokes and heart disease.
1 in 3 adults in the UK has high blood pressure. To check yours, you can:
- ask at your community pharmacy (many will check it for free)
- take up your invite for an NHS Health Check if you鈥檙e aged between 40 and 74
- use a home blood pressure monitor like the one in our video below
Preventing high blood pressure
Half of all strokes and heart attacks are the result of high blood pressure. You have the power to prevent high blood pressure, or make changes to reduce it.
High blood pressure is one of the most preventable and treatable health conditions and can be prevented by:
- eating a healthy diet 鈥� cutting down on salt and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables
- limiting alcohol intake - men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week and to spread drinking over 3 days or more if drinking as much as 14 units a week
- being a 鈥榟ealthy鈥� weight 鈥� being overweight can raise your blood pressure
- being active - adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week
- cutting down on caffeine - drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day may increase blood pressure
- stopping smoking
You can get free support to lead a healthier lifestyle with .
There鈥檚 also lots more information and advice about checking your blood pressure at .