• Smoking
• Stress
• Being overweight
• Lack of physical activity
• Too much alcohol consumption
• Diet & high salt intake
• Genetics and family history
• Chronic kidney disease
• Adrenal and thyroid disorders

If you believe you may have high blood pressure monitoring your blood pressure is very simple and a basic blood pressure machine can range from £10 -£40.  Alternatively your doctor’s surgery will also provide this service for you. If you do have your own machine you will be able to measure and accurately record all your results. Take the readings at the same time each day and record the date and time.  If you are consistently recording a high reading please make an appointment to visit your doctor and discuss your findings.

Your doctor will advise you on how to reduce your blood pressure and will prescribe any necessary medication.  You can also treat high blood pressure by making lifestyle changes, such as dietary changes, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol & salt and increasing the amount of exercise you do.

There is much evidence to show that stress can contribute to high blood pressure and signs of stress should not be ignored. Stress can show physically, mentally, emotionally and behaviourally. To take our on-line stress test.

Physical signs can manifest through:

• muscular tension
• Dizziness
• grinding teeth/clenched jaws
• Headaches
• Indigestion
• IBS
• difficulty sleeping
• racing heart
• hunched posture
• sweaty palms
• tiredness & exhaustion
• Shaking
• weight gain/loss

Mental signs could be:

• constant worrying
• difficulty making decisions
• lack of memory
• inability to concentrate
• lack of creativity
• loss of sense of humour
• lack of focus

Emotional signs may become apparent by:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• crying
• depression
• feeling powerless
• frequent mood swings
• irritability
• loneliness
• negative thinking
• nervousness
• sadness

Behavioural signs include:

• the use of alcohol or drugs
• compulsive eating
• explosive actions
• frequent job changes
• rash actions
• withdrawal from relationships
• critical of others

All of the above can in turn put a stress on the body, as the chemicals your body makes in response to stress makes your heart beat harder and faster and your blood vessels tighten. Over time, this makes blood pressure higher.

In a scientific study reported by the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Hernandez-Reif found that hypertension and its associated symptoms were reduced through massage therapy. The subjects in this study were provided with 10 to 30-minute massage sessions over the course of five weeks. The subjects, all of who suffered from hypertension, experienced reduced blood pressure and reduced levels of cortisol in their urine and salivary samples. Hernandez-Reif concluded that massage for hypertension may be beneficial to reduce diastolic blood pressure and lessen the symptoms associated with hypertension.

We at Sense believe the benefits of massage are initially very immediate but that they also have a compound effect.  Allowing the benefits to develop over a period of time can help to tackle some of the problems that are induced by stress.

Sometimes finding the time to take care of ourselves can cause an additional increase in stress and can put a strain on our already busy lives.

This is where we can help as we can bring the treatments to you at your office.    Onsite massage in the work place is a very practical and efficient way to bring the beneficial effects straight to you.  It’s quick and easy to organise and you can get an instant quote from our web site.

So on 17th May why not organise a “Take Your Blood Pressure Day”, along with a day of onsite massages, to help increase awareness of the silent killer and assist in the welfare and well-being of your co-workers.