Are you doing everything you can to manage your heart condition? Find out with our interactive checkup. Blood pressure is measured with two numbers: systolic pressure (the top number) which is the pressure when your heart beats, and diastolic pressure (the bottom number) which is the pressure when your heart is relaxed. Ideally, your blood pressure should be 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or less, according to Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, MS, a clinical hypertension specialist, director of the Center for Healthful Behavior Change, and associate professor of medicine for the division of general internal medicine at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. Blood pressure within the ranges of 120-139/80-89 mmHg is technically considered normal but “pre-hypertensive,” meaning that it puts you at risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure, in the future. Variations in Normal Blood Pressure Dr. Ogedegbe says to think of a traffic light when you evaluate your blood pressure readings. “Green is anything less than 120/80, yellow is 120-139/80-89, and red is when your blood pressure is 140/90 and above,” Ogedegbe says. People whose systolic blood pressure is 140 mmHg or greater or whose diastolic blood pressure is 90 mmHg or greater are said to be hypertensive, or have high blood pressure. Everyone’s blood pressure fluctuates, but normal blood pressure means that yours is usually less than 120/80 mmHg. “Before we can say somebody has high blood pressure, we like to see them take their blood pressure on two separate occasions at least a month apart,” says Ogedegbe. If your blood pressure is high at one visit, your doctor will probably suggest that you come back for another reading or use a home blood pressure monitor to track your blood pressure before diagnosing you as hypertensive. A high blood pressure reading at a doctor visit could also be due to what health care providers call “white coat hypertension.” Some people have in-office blood pressure readings that are temporarily elevated due to the anxiety of being at the doctor’s. At the other end of the spectrum is low blood pressure. Ogedegbe says that blood pressure is generally considered to be low when either systolic blood pressure is less than 90 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure is less than 60 mmHg. If you have low blood pressure and do not have any worrisome symptoms, such as dizziness, headaches, or an abnormal heart rate, it is probably not a concern. But if your blood pressure is severely low — less than 80/50 mmHg — or you experience a sudden drop in blood pressure, consult your health care provider. Home Blood Pressure Management and Monitoring Avoiding white coat hypertension is one of the advantages that home blood pressure monitoring has over in-office monitoring. Home monitoring gives your doctor a truer picture of what your blood pressure is in your own environment. Another advantage is that it allows your doctor to take the average of several blood pressure readings, instead of relying on a single reading in the medical office. To best manage your blood pressure at home, follow these guidelines:
Ask your doctor what type of blood pressure monitor he or she recommends and have it calibrated against the monitor at your doctor’s office.Avoid smoking, drinking caffeinated beverages, or exercising for 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure.Relax in a chair with one arm on a table and the other arm at heart level.Place the blood pressure cuff over your upper arm (see your device’s instructions for proper placement).Take two or three blood pressure readings daily and record your results on a chart, including the date and time of day (it is best to take readings at the same time each day).Call your health care provider if you get an at-home reading that is too high or too low.
Knowing your blood pressure is important part of health management, since undiagnosed hypertension puts you at risk for a variety of other conditions. Make sure to consult your doctor if you have any concerns or questions about your blood pressure numbers. Return to the Hypertension Awareness Center.
