Know your numbers: heart health in your 30s and 40s
High blood pressure rarely causes symptoms. That's exactly why it's worth checking.
Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death for men in Europe, and the risk builds quietly for years before anything feels wrong.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol usually have no symptoms at all. The only way to know is to measure them. A home blood-pressure monitor is inexpensive, and many pharmacies will check it for you.
The everyday habits that protect the heart are familiar for a reason: not smoking, moving most days, eating more plants and less salt, sleeping enough and keeping alcohol low.
Try this
- Check your blood pressure this month, at a pharmacy or at home.
- Ask your GP about a cholesterol and blood-sugar test.
- Swap one processed-meat meal a week for beans or fish.
General information, not personal medical advice. If something worries you, talk to your doctor. In an emergency in Bulgaria or the EU, call 112.