Blood pressure is the force your blood exerts against the walls of your arteries. Your blood pressure serves as one of your body’s vital signs, along with your heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature.
If your blood pressure is too high, it increases the risk of numerous health issues, including heart disease. That’s why it’s crucial to monitor your blood pressure regularly.
In this article, we’ll cover what a normal blood pressure is, why it’s important for your health, and what you can do to improve your blood pressure.
What is blood pressure?
Each time your heart beats, oxygen-rich blood is forced against the walls of your arteries. This is known as blood pressure. Your arteries then deliver this fresh blood to your cells and tissues.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (or mm Hg). Your blood pressure is made up of two numbers:
- Systolic blood pressure is the top number. It measures the pressure exerted against the walls of your arteries as your heart beats.
- Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number. It measures the pressure against the arterial walls when your heart is at rest (or between heartbeats).
What is a normal blood pressure?
Normal blood pressure for adults is considered anything under 120/80 mm Hg. If your systolic is over 120, or your diastolic is over 80, it’s considered high blood pressure. This is also known as hypertension.
While alarming, nearly half of all US adults, or close to 120 million people, suffer from high blood pressure.1 As blood pressure rises, so does hypertension severity.
Blood pressure chart
According to the American Heart Association, the following are the healthy and unhealthy ranges for blood pressure:2
|
Blood pressure category
|
Systolic mm Hg
(top number)
|
and/or
|
Diastolic mm Hg
(bottom number)
|
|
Normal
|
Less than 120
|
and
|
Less than 80
|
|
Elevated
|
120-129
|
and
|
Less than 80
|
|
High blood pressure (hypertension stage 1)
|
130-139
|
or
|
80-89
|
|
High blood pressure (hypertension stage 2)
|
140 or higher
|
or
|
90 or higher
|
|
Hypertensive crisis (seek emergency help)
|
180 or higher
|
and/or
|
120 or higher
|
Hypertension risk increases with age. This is because your arteries become less flexible and stiffen as you age.
Other risk factors for high blood pressure include:
- Having a family history of high blood pressure or other heart issues
- Being overweight or obese
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Physical inactivity
- Poor diet, especially diets high in salt
- Diabetes3
How does blood pressure relate to your health?
Having high blood pressure puts you at increased risk of a host of other heart issues, including aneurysms, heart attacks, stroke, and heart disease.4
This is because hypertension damages the lining of your arteries, making them less elastic. Over time, this can cause plaque to build up and narrow arterial walls.
But since other organs depend on your heart, hypertension also increases the risk of many other health conditions, such as:
- Kidney failure
- Sexual dysfunction
- Cognitive impairment
- Dementia
- Eye problems, including broken blood vessels in the eyes and vision loss4
While hypertension comes with numerous risks, many people don’t even realize they have it. High blood pressure is dubbed the “silent killer,” because it typically has no symptoms. That’s why it’s so important to monitor your blood pressure regularly.
Although rare, some people with hypertension may experience symptoms such as:
- Headaches
- Nosebleeds
- Shortness of breath
That said, these symptoms don’t usually emerge until severe stages of hypertension. Checking your blood pressure is the only way to know if you have hypertension for sure.
How to test your blood pressure
There are a few different options for checking your blood pressure:
- Blood pressure cuffs – Also known as sphygmomanometers, these are the inflatable blood pressure cuffs used at doctors’ offices. The cuff gently squeezes your arm and shows your blood pressure on a dial or display screen.
- Home monitors – Some doctors recommend patients with hypertension get a home monitor, similar to the ones used in medical settings. This is sometimes called SMBP, or self-monitored blood pressure. It’s important to get a home monitor with a cuff size that’s appropriate for your arm. Otherwise, accuracy will suffer.
- Smartwatches and fitness trackers – Some of these devices claim they can measure blood pressure. However, their accuracy is questionable.
- Transdermal optical imaging (TOI) – This new technology detects blood flow changes in the face via a digital camera. TOI is proven to be an accurate way to measure blood pressure—without trekking to the doctor’s office.5 To learn more about TOI, check out this article.
Regardless of which tool you choose, here are some best practices to follow when checking your blood pressure.
Before testing:
- Wait 30 minutes after eating, drinking, or exercising
- Empty your bladder beforehand
- Take a few slow, deep breaths
During testing:
- Relax and sit in a comfy chair with your back supported
- Don’t cross your legs and keep both feet flat on the floor
- If using a blood pressure cuff, let your arm rest at chest height
- Be still and don’t talk while measuring your blood pressure
Keep in mind that your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day. Stress, changes in blood sugar, emotions, and even temperature can all affect blood pressure.
This means that one blood pressure reading is only a snapshot—not a full picture. To get an accurate gauge, it’s best to measure your blood pressure several times over a few weeks.
How can you improve your blood pressure
You can improve your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease by making healthy lifestyle changes.
Here are a few lifestyle habits that can keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.
Manage stress
Stress spikes your blood pressure. Usually, your blood pressure returns to normal once the stressor passes. But if stress goes unchecked for too long and becomes chronic, it can increase the risk of hypertension. That’s why it’s important to have tools to reduce your stress.
Many relaxation techniques are proven to lower stress and blood pressure, including meditation, listening to music, and spending time in nature.6 7 Setting healthy boundaries and practicing gratitude can also help you keep a lid on stress.
Maintain a healthy weight
As your weight rises, so does your blood pressure. This is because excess body fat makes your heart work harder. If you’re overweight or obese, even losing as little as 10 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure.8
Don’t smoke
Smoking elevates your blood pressure too. This is because the nicotine in cigarettes can narrow and harden your arterial walls.9 Smoking also increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, and chronic lung conditions. Ditching this habit is one of the best things you can do for your health.
Exercise regularly
Physical activity can reduce your blood pressure by roughly 5 to 7 mm Hg.10 So get your body moving! Walk, swim, go for a bike ride, garden, play pickleball, lift weights, or take a dance class. Aim for 30 minutes of mild to moderate exercise every day.
Eat a heart-healthy diet
Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, and lean poultry. Consider trying the DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) or Mediterranean diet. Both are hailed for their heart health benefits.
Cut back on salt
Sodium (aka salt) makes your body hold onto water. When you eat too much salt, the extra water in your blood puts more pressure on blood vessel walls. Many processed foods are high in sodium. So read food labels carefully and stick to less than 140 mg of sodium per serving. Opt for products labeled “low sodium” or “no added salt.”
Limit alcohol
Drinking alcohol raises your blood pressure. So if you have high blood pressure, you’ll want to limit alcohol or avoid it altogether. Moderate alcohol intake means drinking no more than two drinks per day for men, or one drink per day for women. But the less you drink, the better.
Key takeaways
Blood pressure is a valuable metric that can offer clues about your health. Yet it should always be considered in conjunction with other health measurements.
Adopting healthy lifestyle habits can help lower your blood pressure. Eating a healthy diet, exercising, and managing stress can all reduce your blood pressure and benefit your overall health.
About Mindy Palmer
Mindy Palmer is a wellness writer and certified holistic health coach. She enjoys inspiring others to live healthier lives by creating informative content for leading-edge health and wellness brands.
Sources:
1. “Facts About Hypertension.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. USA.gov.
2. “Understanding Blood Pressure Readings.” American Heart Association. Heart.org.
3. “Know Your Risk for High Blood Pressure.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. USA.gov.
4. “High blood pressure dangers: Hypertensions’s effects on your body.” Mayo Foundation for Education and Research. Mayoclinic.org
5. Luo, H., D. Yang, A. Barszczyk, et al. “Smartphone-Based Blood Pressure Measurement Using Transdermal Optical Imaging Technology.” Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging 12 no. 8 (2019).
6. Kulkarni, S., I. O’Farrell, M. Erasi, et al. “Stress and hypertension.” WMJ: Official Publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin 97 no. 11 (1998): 34-8.
7. Shanahan, D.F., R. Bush, K.J. Gaston, et al. “Health Benefits from Nature Experiences Depend on Dose.” Scientific Reports 6 no. 28551 (2016).
8. “Managing Weight to Control High Blood Pressure.” American Heart Association. Heart.org.
9. “How Smoking and Nicotine Damage Your Body.” American Heart Association. Heart.org.
10. Hegde, S.M. & S.D. Solomon. “Influence of Physical Activity on Hypertension and Cardiac Structure and Function.” Current Hypertension Reports 17 no. 77 (2015).
