Coronary Heart Disease (C.H.D.) is the country's biggest killer so it is incredibly important to start looking after your heart now. One of the causes of C.H.D. is high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) - more than 50% of the population over 60yrs old suffers form hypertension and the percentage of sufferers under 60yrs old is increasing.
Primary causes of hypertension are lifestyle factors such as:
Secondary causes of hypertension include:
This flow diagram below shows the progression of illness from hypertension:
The best way to protect your heart is by:
We stock or can obtain many different blood pressure monitors from various manufacturers to suit different needs.
All monitors provide a digital reading of your systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) pressures and your pulse rate and are a great way to keep an eye on your blood pressure in between doctors appointments.
Approximate blood pressure guidelines:
| Low blood pressure | Normal blood pressure | Critical limit | High blood pressure | |
| Systolic mmHg | < 100 | 100 - 140 | 140 - 160 | >160 |
| Diastolic mmHg | < 60 | 60 - 90 | 90 - 95 | >95 |
Exercise is important to give your heart a good regular work out but you shouldn't work too hard especially if you have high blood pressure or some other heart problem.
Heart rate monitors work by sensors in the chest strap transmitting an ECG reading of your heart to a monitor that you wear as a watch on your wrist so you can keep and eye on it.
There are different monitors available ranging in price and features. The most basic monitor simply gives a reading of your heart rate, some tell you your heart rate plus the percentage of your maximum heart rate, others also have a time feature, stopwatch, calorie counter, and PC upload feature etc.
! You should always consult your GP before taking up any exercise and they will be able to advise you as to what is a good exercise for you and how hard you should work your heart !