Know Your Numbers Week
Catherine Alexander
Mortgage & Protection Adviser at GDA
The 8th to the 14th of September is Know Your Numbers Week, an annual campaign by Blood Pressure UK to raise awareness and encourage every adult to get checked. Raising awareness is really important, as one in three adults in the UK are living with high blood pressure without knowing it. The good news is that it is also one of the most preventable and treatable causes of premature death.
While it’s often associated with ageing, younger adults can also be affected. The latest Health Survey for England shows 11% of adults have undiagnosed hypertension (blood pressure above 140/90) – around 6.3 million people.
What is Hypertension?
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a common medical condition where the force of blood against the walls of your arteries is consistently too high.
It is often called the silent killer because it typically has no symptoms, yet it can lead to serious health problems if left untreated such as heart disease, stroke, kidney damage and vision loss.
Because high blood pressure strikes without warning and often triggers serious conditions, it highlights the value of robust protection policies – cover that pays out when it’s needed, based on full disclosure. These policies safeguard customers’ financial security just as effectively as health checks safeguard their wellbeing.
Protection policies, such as employer-sponsored health benefits and insurance plans, can play a crucial role in supporting individuals with hypertension. These policies often include access to preventive care, regular screenings, and affordable medications—all of which are essential for managing high blood pressure effectively. Equally, products designed to protect your income can be important, because high blood pressure is also a leading condition behind early exits from employment market, alongside cancer and mental health issues.
What do your numbers mean?
When you have your blood pressure measured, you will be given two numbers, a top number and a bottom number.
The top number is your systolic blood pressure. This is the highest level reached when your heart pumps blood around the body.
The bottom number is your diastolic blood pressure. This is the lowest level reached as your heart relaxes during beats.
If the first number is 120 and the second number is 80, you would refer to this as 120 over 80.
Only one of your numbers needs to be higher than it should be to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, and only one needs to be lower than it should be to be diagnosed with low blood pressure.
A single high reading doesn’t necessarily mean you have high blood pressure, as many things can affect your blood pressure throughout the day, such as the temperature, when you last ate, and if you’re feeling stressed. Your doctor or nurse will probably want to measure your blood pressure a number of times over a few weeks to make sure the reading wasn’t just a one off and that your blood pressure stays high over time.
Please visit the Blood Pressure UK website for more information about Hypertension, the only UK charity dedicated to lowering high blood pressure.
If you have any questions about financial protection, or you would like to talk about an existing policy, please do not hesitate to contact your adviser or a member of the GDA team. Hypertension may be known as the silent killer, but it doesn’t have to be.
References
2025. Blood Pressure UK Website. https://www.bloodpressureuk.org/.
2024. NHS England. Health Survey for England Part 2. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england/2022-part-2/adult-health.
This article is for general information and does not constitute personal financial advice. If you’re unsure what’s best for you, seek independent financial advice.
