Living With High Blood Pressure
- 0About this program
- 1Understanding blood pressure
- 2Understanding your diagnosis
- 3Blood pressure medication
- 4What causes high blood pressure?
- 5Just a pinch of salt
- 6Non-alcoholic drinks and your blood pressure
- 7Reducing alcohol and your blood pressure
- 8Being more physically active
- 9Weight loss and high blood pressure
- 10Eating well to lower your blood pressure
- 11Keeping up healthy changes
- 12Changes for life
- 13Being there for you in the long term
- 0About this program
- 1Understanding blood pressure
- 2Understanding your diagnosis
- 3Blood pressure medication
- 4What causes high blood pressure?
- 5Just a pinch of salt
- 6Non-alcoholic drinks and your blood pressure
- 7Reducing alcohol and your blood pressure
- 8Being more physically active
- 9Weight loss and high blood pressure
- 10Eating well to lower your blood pressure
- 11Keeping up healthy changes
- 12Changes for life
- 13Being there for you in the long term
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Reducing alcohol and your blood pressure
Alcohol and your heart
Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol can have a harmful effect on your blood pressure. As well as directly affecting blood pressure, alcohol can encourage other unhealthy habits, like smoking or eating salty and sugary foods. Alcohol is also high in calories so it can lead to weight gain, which can increase your risk of heart and circulatory disease too.
You may hear myths about some drinks, like red wine being good for your heart, but there’s actually no proof that one type of alcohol is ‘better’ for you than another.
Understanding alcohol guidelines
You should avoid drinking more than 14 units a week and those units should be spread out over at least 3 days. One drink can contain as many as 3 or 4 units.
A unit is a measure of alcohol. The number of units in your drink is based on the size of the drink and its alcohol strength (ABV).
The ABV (alcohol by volume) figure is the percentage of alcohol in the drink.
A single pub measure (25mls) of spirits (40% ABV) contains one unit of alcohol.
A small glass (50 ml) of liqueur, sherry or other fortified wine (20% ABV) contains one unit of alcohol.
Half a pint (about 300mls) of normal strength (4% ABV) lager, cider or beer contains 1.1 unit of alcohol. But many beers and ciders are stronger and have a higher volume than this.
A standard 175ml glass of wine (13% ABV) would be 2.3 units, and many wines have a higher alcohol content. You also need to be careful because a lot of glasses are bigger than 175ml.
Download the NHS Drinks Tracker app onto your smartphone to stay aware of what you drink.
How to start cutting back
These 4 top tips will help you drink less and look after your heart.
Downsize. By switching from a large glass of wine to a small, or a pint to a half-pint, you can have what you want, but in moderation.
Read the label. Some drinks are stronger than others. This will be shown by their % ABV (ABV stands for ‘alcohol by volume’). Choose drinks with a lower % ABV.
Take a break. Try to have at least 3-4 alcohol-free days a week. And make sure you don’t use the other days to ‘catch up’.
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or sugar-free soft drinks to stay hydrated and slow down your alcohol intake.
How many calories are you drinking? Test your alcohol knowledge >
Join the conversation on HealthUnlocked
To get the most out of your heart health journey, you'll need support. Our online community on HealthUnlocked brings patients, their loved-ones and healthcare experts all together online to share advice and encouragement. Join the conversation.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.