March/April Issue 60 - Flipbook - Page 29
D4DRIVERS
BLOOD PRESSURE
‘Blood pressure’, people are always talking
about ‘blood pressure’.
When we are angry, we say, ’it’s making my
blood pressure boil’ or if we get scared, ‘that’s
not good for my blood pressure’!
But what is it and why should we care?
Well, blood pressure (BP) is two pressures and
so we read two numbers, for example 130/80. In
essence the first and higher number is when the
heart is pumping blood around the body and the
second and lower number is the pressure when the
heart is resting and being filled with blood.
Both numbers matter and I will tell you why.
The higher the BP, the harder the heart is working,
the harder it works the more oxygen it needs via a
good blood supply and if our heart is pushed too
hard for too long, well, it can fail.
Currently to meet group 2 driver standard (HGV/
PCV) your BP needs to be below 180/100, this is
still a minimum standard (or maximum in this case!)
and medics all over the world would not be happy
leaving a BP as high as this untreated.
If your BP is at 179/99 you technically meet the
standard required to drive HGV/PCV, but even at
this level you are three times more likely to develop
a dangerous heart rhythm called Atrial Fibrillation
which causes stroke. BP is made worse when your
heart must work harder.
Stiff blood vessels caused by too much cholesterol,
smoking and being overweight are directly linked
to heart disease. A diet which is full of fat, sugar
and salt diet leads to blood vessel stickiness which
causes fat clots in heart vessels and heart attack.
less illness and be more productive at work which
is good for you, your family, and your pay-packet.
So, you need your BP checked.
These days it can be very hard to access a GP
surgery due to the massive strain on the service
caused by the pandemic, GPs are working harder
than ever before and may find it hard to simply
check your BP.
But there are other options. Your practice nurse can
do your BP, as can a pharmacist.
At D4drivers we offer medical assessments which
include a blood pressure check and don’t forget that
a lot of us these days are using mobile wearable
devices that can check our health.
The thing about BP is that except for rare cases like
kidney problems most of us can work to reduce our
BP if we choose to. Its up to us, no one else.
If you are offered the use of a health monitoring
device then take it up, remember, it’s your health,
your heart, your career.
A lot of people will say, ‘I feel fine so there is nothing
wrong’. The issue is that there are no symptoms
associated with high BP, so even though you cannot
feel anything, we know that damage is being done.
The normal BP for adults is under 140/90, however,
it will go up with exercise and stress, but if it
consistently above this especially at rest then you
need to get yourself looked at.
High BP causes damage to kidneys, small blood
vessels that affect the eyes and heart and leads to
a much higher risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney
failure, erectile dysfunction and a whole load of
other problems that nobody needs.
Firstly, remember that it is your body, your heart and
it’s your BP.
Choose to walk more and sit less. Choose to eat
better with more unprocessed food, more plantbased foods and less saturated fat and processed
meat. If you smoke, then chuck the fags and use
a patch.
Not just that, it can threaten your job.
By making better choices you can live longer with
The choice to reduce the chance of heart attack and
stroke is yours.
Low cost, local
driver medicals
including discount
for AVRO members
• 85 locations across the UK
• Book online 24/7
• Weekend & evening appointments
facebook.com/drivermedicals
@drivermedicals
Ask for help if you need to.
BP is a silent killer. Don’t be a victim.
only
£55
including eye test
