Know Your Numbers! Week 2025
From 8-14 September it’s Know Your Numbers! Week and this year’s theme ‘Looking for the Missing Millions’ is a reminder that many of us could be living with undetected high blood pressure without being aware of it.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a common condition that some people assume only affects older people. In fact, that there are around 5 million adults aged 18-64 in the UK living with undiagnosed high blood pressure without knowing it.
Getting your blood pressure checked is easy to do and there are so many opportunities available for you to find out the two little numbers that could change your life:
- Ask your GP
- Drop by a pharmacy to ask for a test
- Test yourself at home if you’ve got a blood pressure monitor
Over time, untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other illnesses. Once you Know Your Numbers! you can get support to bring your blood pressure under control and reduce your risk of developing these conditions.
What the numbers mean
Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and records your systolic blood pressure first and then your diastolic blood pressure.
The first number is the pressure of your blood against your artery walls when your heart beats. The second number is the measure the pressure of blood pressure while the heart muscle rests between beats.
So, if your first number is 120 and the second number is 80, this would be written as 120/80mmHg, or more commonly it would be referred to as ‘120 over 80’.
You can see how low, normal and high blood pressure ranges are measured in the chart below:
Don’t panic!
One result doesn’t mean that you have a long-term diagnosis of high blood pressure. Lots of different things can influence your blood pressure reading, including: diet and lifestyle, temperature, stress levels and your activity during the day.
The person who does your test will take multiple readings to make sure that they get an accurate result. If you’re using a blood pressure monitor at home, make sure that you sit still for a few minutes so that your readings aren’t affected by your activity immediately before.
After your diagnosis
The most important thing to remember is that it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of things that you can do to bring your blood pressure down over time:
Adopt a healthier lifestyle: getting to a healthy weight and stopping smoking or vaping are great ways to reduce your blood pressure in the long term.
Make better food choices: your diet can make a big difference to your blood pressure. Reduce your salt, fat and sugar intake and consider introducing healthier substitutes for your favourite meals. You don’t have to do everything at once; making small changes gradually can help you form good, long-term habits.
Medication: depending on how high your blood pressure is, your doctor might suggest taking medications to lower it. There are different kinds available which work in different ways; talk to your GP about what’s right for you.
Whether you’ve already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, or you have no idea what your numbers are, this Know Your Numbers! Week, consider taking just 15 minutes to go and find out what your numbers are. It could change your life for the better.
Learn more about high blood pressure
British Heart Foundation: clinically approved blood pressure monitors