Patient Guide
High Blood Pressure
The silent condition — and what you can do about it
1 in 3Australian adults have high blood pressure
Halfof those who have it aren't well controlled
Strokeis the biggest risk — and the most preventable
Why blood pressure matters
It damages quietly
High pressure stresses your arteries, heart and kidneys for years before anything goes wrong. Treatment now prevents trouble later.
It's the biggest stroke driver
Treating high blood pressure is one of the single most effective things we can do to prevent strokes.
Your kidneys feel it too
Kidneys filter every drop of blood. Sustained high pressure slowly damages them — usually without you knowing.
It often comes with company
It travels with diabetes, high cholesterol and weight gain. Treating one often helps the others.
Lifestyle works
Less salt, more vegetables, regular activity and a modest weight loss can lower the numbers meaningfully.
Modern medicines are kind
Today's tablets are well-tolerated, taken once daily, and the benefit vastly outweighs any side effects.
What numbers should I aim for? For most people the target is under 140/90. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or established heart trouble, your GP will usually aim lower — under 130/80. Home readings are often more reliable than one-off clinic checks.
Six changes that move the needle
Cut the salt
Aim for under 5g salt a day (about a teaspoon). Most comes from packaged and takeaway foods, not the salt shaker.
Move 30 min, most days
Brisk walking, cycling, swimming — anything that raises a sweat. Even two short walks count just as well.
Eat the rainbow
Lots of veg, fruit, whole grains and legumes. Mediterranean or DASH-style eating drops blood pressure several points.
Lose a little weight
Losing 5kg can drop systolic pressure by around 5mmHg — that's meaningful, and you don't need to be perfect.
Easier on alcohol
More than two standard drinks a day pushes your pressure up. Cutting back works fast — often within a week or two.
Take your tablets — daily
Skipping doses lets pressure rebound. Modern tablets are gentle and worth taking on time, every day.
See your doctor sooner if:
- Severe headache, chest pain, or breathlessness
- Vision changes, sudden weakness or slurred speech
- Home readings consistently above 160/100
- Side effects making you want to stop your medicine
Your next steps:
- Get (or borrow) a home BP monitor — our home monitoring guide & 7-day diary shows you how
- Bring a week of readings to your next appointment
- Pick one food swap to start this week
- Set a daily alarm for your tablet if you tend to forget
Steady numbers, steady life
You can't feel high blood pressure — that's exactly why we treat it. Small steady changes, and a tablet that quietly does its job, change the story.
— Dr Regu
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