Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Why Listen?

• Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
• Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
• Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
• Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.

Transcript

Welcome back and it's day nine and we're talking blood pressure medications and I really want to touch on this because occasionally I get people who are quite dismayed or frustrated or upset if they have to take a medication. 

Well let's be absolutely clear blood pressure medication saves lives. The evidence is overwhelming. They reduce risk of stroke, they reduce risk of heart attack, they reduce risk of cardiac failure, atrial fibrillation, kidney disease and dementia. And the modern medicines that we use are very very well tolerated. They've been around for a long long time so they really do do their job without impacting on people's quality of life. And the nice thing is if for some reason one tablet doesn't suit you, we actually have a range available. 

So don't be disappointed if you need a medication. And remember, if you've been prescribed a medication for blood pressure, these tablets work on a 24 hour cycle pretty well. So consistency is important. If you do miss your medication, your blood pressure will creep up. And that's not what you want. 

As I said, I really don't want people to think that it's a failure if you need medication. It's better to actually blame your parents because a large component of your blood pressure is driven by genetics. Well, I'm talking about people who are really doing everything else right, like their diet, exercise, good sleep and so on. Of course, if you're not looking after those lifestyle things, then you need to tidy those up and reevaluate where your blood pressure really is. 

It is super smart to be taking the medications as required. And it's super important to have it closely monitored to speak. So speak with your doctor about that. We touch on 24 hour blood pressure monitoring before and after initiation or change in dosing of therapy is a really good habit. And the really nice news, lifestyle changes, things like exercise, diet, improving stress and sleep work really, really well. Not just additive, but almost multiplicative with medication. 

So take advantage of it and put the odds in your favor. Tomorrow, I really look forward to talking about two of my favorite drugs, coffee and alcohol. I look forward to joining me. For now, I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care.

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