Anyone over the age of 40 should buy a piece of medical equiptment, Dr Amir Khan has said. The Good Morning Britain medic said that a blood pressure monitor could save your life.
He admitted that grand New Year resolutions are often too optimistic in terms of end goals of weight loss or lifestyole change. In a post on social media, the doctor said: “I’m not a fan of New Years Resolutions – they are often doomed to failure.
“And you can choose to make healthy small achievable changes to your life at any point in the year – so if you don’t succeed in carrying them on past the first few weeks of January don’t be put off, just try again. But remember to make any goals realistic.”
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He added: “If there is one thing I’d recommend it’s buying a home blood pressure machine (to anyone over 40, younger of you have a strong family history) – and monitoring your blood pressure at home.
“Lots of people have high blood pressure and don’t know it, it’s often called the silent killer. Undiagnosed or poorly managed blood pressure increases risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, eye disease and other things so knowing your blood pressure numbers and keeping them at healthy levels is really important.”
Dr Khan who is an NHS doctor said the best time to check is after a person has been resting for 20-30 mins in a non stressful environment, SurreyLive reports. He added: “Blood pressure will naturally fluctuate throughout the day, so don’t worry if all the readings are not the same – but if your readings are persistently raised then speak to a healthcare professional.
“Readings that average higher than 135-140/85-90 need to be looked at by a healthcare professional. You can help keep your blood pressure healthy by stopping smoking, managing alcohol consumption, eating wholefoods, doing regular movement, sleeping well and managing stress levels (easier said than done, I know)
“So if you haven’t already, make your New Year’s resolution to keep an eye on your blood pressure, keep it healthy and seek medical advice if it is persistently raised.”