Blood Pressure Awareness Week

Know your numbers! Do you know your blood pressure numbers?

This week is know your numbers week, here at Yorkshire Smokefree we are onboard with testing our blood pressure and making sure we take the right steps to reach and maintain a healthy blood pressure.

Know your Numbers! Week is the nation’s largest annual blood pressure testing and awareness event, this takes place in the second week of September each year. With the current social distancing measures there won’t be free pressure checks in the community Pressure Stations, instead Blood Pressure UK need our support to encourage the whole of the UK to Know Their Numbers! Find resources from Blood Pressure UK here: http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/microsites/kyn/Home/Getinvolved/Resourcesyearround

Home monitoring your blood pressure can be helpful, this can help you notice if there is a consistent rise in your blood pressure or if your pressure is too high. It can give you an idea of what your blood pressure is like as you go about your daily life, this is even a good indication as to whether your blood pressure is higher when you visit a clinic.

On Know your Numbers! week, it is important to remember how smoking affects blood pressure, the nicotine in cigarette smoke is a big part of the problem. It raises your blood pressure and heart rate, as well as narrowing the arteries and hardening their walls, making it more likely for your blood to clot. This stresses your heart and sets you up for a heart attack or stroke.

A great way to take action and prevent high blood pressure is to quit smoking with Yorkshire Smokefree and take the first step to begin your full-stop journey.

There are many ways we can help:

Quit online - https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/pages/quit-online

Our online quit tool will allow you to create your own personal profile and will support you on a daily basis through your quit journey.

Telephone support - our advisors are on hand to answer any questions or provide additional support as you need it. You can call 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 660 1166.

Visit our frequently asked questions section to find out more: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/frequently-asked-questions