Hypertension: By the Numbers

You may know if your blood pressure is high, normal or low. But do you know what your numbers mean?

Blood pressure readings usually are given as two numbers. For example, you may hear someone say that your blood pressure is "120 over 80," which is written as 120/80.

The top number is your systolic pressure, which is the pressure created when your heart beats. It is considered high if it is regularly higher than 140.
 
The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, which is the pressure inside your blood vessels when the heart is at rest. Diastolic pressure is considered high if it consistently measures over 90. Either or both of these numbers may be too high.

Pre-hypertension is when systolic blood pressure is regularly between 120 and 139 or diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89. Having pre-hypertension means you are more likely to develop high blood pressure.