Monitoring your blood pressure

Having high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, significantly increases your chances of having a heart attack, and is a serious warning sign for a heart attack – some 50 percent of heart attacks in the UK are associated with high blood pressure, according to the British Heart Foundation.

It means your heart has to work extra hard to pump blood around your body, as arteries lose their stretchiness and become stiff and narrow, making it much easier for fatty materials to clog them up.

There isn’t always an explanation for the cause of high blood pressure, but most people develop high blood pressure because of their diet, lifestyle or a medical condition, and sometimes high blood pressure runs in families and can also worsen as you get older.