WHAT IS BLOOD PRESSURE?
Everyone has blood pressure. It shows the amount of work that your heart must do to pump blood around the body. Two numbers measure your level of blood pressure. The top number records blood pressure when the pressure is at its highest as your heart muscle squeezes out the blood from your heart – this is called systolic pressure. Then your heart relaxes, which allows the blood to flow back into your heart – this is called diastolic pressure.
Average blood pressure is usually about 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic). The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get it measured as most people with high blood pressure will not notice any symptoms.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. You are considered to have high blood pressure if your blood pressure readings are consistently measuring 140/90mmHg or higher on separate occasions. In order to detect if you have high blood pressure, you need to have your blood pressure checked. Untreated high blood pressure can lead to serious conditions, including stroke and heart attack.
However once detected, high blood pressure can be managed with some lifestyle changes and, if needed, medication.
Free Blood Pressure Check
At Adrian Dunne Pharmacy we offer FREE blood pressure checks. A member of our trained pharmacy team can check your blood pressure in our private consultation room and discuss the results – they’ll be able to advise you if your blood pressure is normal or if you may need to speak to the pharmacist or your doctor about it.
We can also help with you with advice on how to help keep your blood pressure within normal limits. If you’re coming in to get your blood pressure checked we recommend wearing a short-sleeved top so we can access your arm easily to get an accurate reading.