Normal Blood Pressure: What It Is and How to Maintain It

One-third of adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension—and many don’t know it. This dangerous condition can do lasting damage to your health if it remains untreated. Discover the symptoms and effects of hypertension, and see how regularly monitoring it can help detect high blood pressure before the onset of complications, and help you control it.

Measuring blood pressure

Blood pressure is indicated by two numbers.

The first is the systole, when the heart contracts and ejects blood into the arteries.

The second is the diastole, when the heart relaxes. The reading is a unit of pressure expressed as millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

It is generally written as "120/80 mm Hg."

Blood pressure throughout your day

Blood pressure has a daily pattern. During the day, your blood pressure continues to rise. It usually experiences a peak in the middle of the afternoon. In the evening, BP begins to decrease. Normally, it should be lower at night, when you are asleep.

"Blood pressure can be highly variable. Thus the diagnosis of hypertension should not be based on a single set of blood pressure readings at a single office visit, unless the blood pressure is substantially increased."

European Society of Cardiology: Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension (ESC-ESH Guidelines 2018)

What is a normal blood pressure for an adult?

According to the European Society of Cardiology, systolic pressure of less than 120 and diastolic pressure of less than 80 is a normal, healthy blood pressure.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is above 140/90 mm Hg for an adult.

The blood pressure chart

What are the risk factors for hypertension?

When a person suffers from hypertension, it means that the walls of their circulatory system are constantly under too much strain.

Some strong evidence shows that high blood pressure is more common among people who have the following risk factors:

Family history

If your parents or other close blood relatives have high blood pressure, there’s an increased chance that you’ll suffer from it.

Gender

Until age 64, men are more likely to get high blood pressure than women are. At 65 and older, women are more likely to get high blood pressure.

Advanced age

The older you are, the more likely you are to get high blood pressure.

Drinking too much alcohol

Heavy drinkers are also more likely to develop hypertension.

An unhealthy diet

Consuming too much salt and saturated fats may increase blood pressure levels.

Overweight

There is a strong link between obesity and hypertension, and weight reduction has been shown to lower blood pressure.

Chronic kidney disease

High blood pressure may occur as a result of kidney disease.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

Hypertension is often underdiagnosed because it may not show symptoms. High blood pressure warning signs may include:

• Chest pain

• A constant or severe headache

• Difficulty breathing

• Irregular heartbeat

• Blurred vision

• Palpitations

• Sweating

• Dizziness

• Nausea

• Nosebleeds

Hypertensive crisis

When your blood pressure becomes very high—above 180/110 mm Hg—you might experience an hypertensive crisis. There are 2 types of high blood pressure crisis:

Hypertensive urgency: a severe uncontrolled hypertension uplift that does not show evidence of organ damage.

Hypertensive emergency: the blood pressure elevation is so high that it causes organ damage (brain, eyes, heart, etc.)

Hypertensive crisis isn't something that happens often, but when it does, it's a serious situation requiring immediate medical attention. It's a stark reminder of just how crucial it is to manage chronic high blood pressure. Think regular blood pressure checks, taking your medication as prescribed, and being upfront with your healthcare provider about any health concerns or changes. If you're living with high blood pressure, understanding your condition and partnering with your doctor to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range is your best defense against complications like this.

Risks to your heart

Hypertension is the most common chronic disease in the world and is considered a major cardiovascular risk factor.

As it can be difficult to alert people to an increase in their blood pressure, hypertension is often called “the silent killer,” as it can damage you heart in various ways.

Heart failure

Hypertension increases the risk of developing heart failure, a dangerous condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the body.

Atrial fibrillation

People who have high blood pressure are at a higher risk for atrial fibrillation (AFib), an anomaly of the heart’s electrical activity, which is often asymptomatic. AFib may lead to stroke, heart failure and cognitive decline. Learn more about AFib +

Coronary heart disease

Also called ischemic heart disease, this is a frequent complication in hypertensive patients. Under too much strain, the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart can become too narrow, reducing blood flow in the heart.

Left ventricular hypertrophy

Common in people who have uncontrolled high blood pressure, this condition thickens the walls of your heart's main pumping chamber. The result is an enlarged heart that can lose the ability to pump with proper force.

Valvular heart disease

This condition, in which one or more of your four heart valves doesn't work properly, is thought to be linked with elevated blood pressure. Learn more about VHD +

Prevent & fight hypertension

Because high blood pressure is often "silent," with no symptoms, many people may have hypertension without knowing it. Monitoring your blood pressure at home may enable you and your physician to detect hypertension before the onset of complications.

Home monitoring is recommended for all people with high blood pressure for better control, and to help the healthcare provider to determine whether treatments are working.