Know Your Numbers and get free blood pressure check

People are being encouraged to make sure they know their numbers by getting a free blood pressure check this Know Your Numbers! Week, which began on Monday.

Around five million adults aged 18–64 in the UK could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure – a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and early death.

It can lead to heart and circulatory disease, also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD), which causes a quarter of all deaths in the UK – the equivalent of around 2,300 deaths each month in the Midlands alone.

Wolverhampton residents can check their blood pressure for free, without an appointment, by using a self-service health monitor at WV Active Aldersley, WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams, WV Active Central, Central Library, Warstones Library, Bilston Library, Wednesfield Library or the Bob Jones Community Hub.

For locations and opening times of WV Active sites, please visit https://www.wvactive.com/centres/index.html and for libraries, visit https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/libraries/find-your-nearest-library.

Alternatively, community pharmacies offer a free blood pressure check service for people aged 40 and over with no previous history of high blood pressure; to find your local pharmacy, please visit www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy.

Know Your Numbers! Week, which runs until Sunday (15 September), is an annual campaign led by charity Blood Pressure UK. It provides the following advice to help maintain a healthy blood pressure:

• Cut down on salt – Reducing your salt intake it the quickest way to lower your blood pressure. Don’t add it when cooking or at the table, avoid using stock cubes, gravy and soy sauce, check food labels and avoid processed foods high in salt – aim to eat less than 6g a day
• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables – at least five different portions every day
• Watch your weight – try to reach the right weight for your height
• Exercise regularly – that doesn’t have to mean the gym, how about a regular lunchtime walk? 30 minutes, five times a week is ideal. If you are unsure about taking up exercise, ask your GP
• Drink alcohol in moderation – up to 14 units a week for both men and women – a glass of wine or a pint of beer is 2-3 units.

For more details, please visit www.bloodpressureuk.org/know-your-numbers.