How to Read Your Blood Pressure

Learning how to read and understand your blood pressure can help provide you with important information about your heart health. While you may typically get your blood pressure checked at the doctor’s office, you can now use health monitoring technology to test your blood pressure in the comfort of your own home. But, what do the numbers on blood pressure monitors mean, and what can they tell you about your health?

We will dive into what you need to know about monitoring your blood pressure at home. From choosing the right device and understanding the readings to tracking your results over time, keep reading as we explore at-home blood pressure monitors.

Blood pressure is the measurement of how hard your blood presses on the arteries' walls while pumping through your body. Your blood flows to your limbs and organs, so normal blood pressure indicates that there are no restrictions to the blood flow in your veins.

It is important to keep in mind that your blood pressure naturally rises and falls throughout the day depending on your activity and food consumption. This means that testing must be done at several different points in the day to reflect overall status.

It’s impossible to know if your blood pressure is healthy if you don’t understand how to read your results. Like most health monitoring and testing devices, blood pressure monitors typically come with inflatable arm cuffs that measure your pressure and display your results on a digital screen.

Your blood pressure is expressed as a ratio using two distinct measurements. The upper number of your results indicates your systolic blood pressure — the amount of force your blood produces while the heart is beating. The lower number represents your diastolic blood pressure, which is the amount of pressure you experience while your heart is at rest in between beats. But, which number is more important?

While both numbers provide essential information about your heart health, many physicians focus on your systolic blood pressure (your upper number) for diagnosing and treating heart issues as they are associated with a higher risk for disease. Your systolic levels can become even more important as you age and your arteries naturally begin to stiffen.See Disclosure ¹

Since all bodies are different, healthy blood pressure metrics exist within ranges rather than a specific number. Normal blood pressure should have a systolic pressure of less than 120 mmHg and a diastolic level of less than 80 mmHg.See Disclosure ² Your blood pressure machine may display this as 120/80.

Elevated blood pressure has a systolic range of around 120-129 and a diastolic of less than 80.See Disclosure ² If your blood pressure is elevated, your physician may recommend health and wellness lifestyle changes to help reduce your chances of developing high blood pressure.

It's also possible to have low blood pressure with numbers that fall below the normal range. Low blood pressure can be safe for some individuals, but if your levels are low and you experience symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, blurred vision or clammy skin, you should consult your physician to make sure you’re not at risk for injury or disease.

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is when your blood pressure levels are consistently elevated. It can be challenging to pinpoint high blood pressure causes, but there are certain risk factors, including advanced age, obesity, family history, poor diet and drug use. The American Heart Association classifies high blood pressure into three categories:

• Hypertension Stage 1. Your upper number is between 130 – 139, or your lower number is between 80 – 89.
• Hypertension Stage 2. Your upper number is between 140 – 179, or your lower number is 90 – 119.
• Hypertensive Crisis. Your upper number is higher than 180, or your lower number is higher than 120.

If you have any stage of high blood pressure, your physician may recommend medication to help lower your levels and prevent disease. If left untreated, hypertension can potentially damage your arteries and increase your chances of developing heart issues, kidney disease, vision loss, strokes and other serious conditions.See Disclosure ³

Some people with hypertension may experience no high blood pressure symptoms at all, which is why it can be crucial to regularly monitor your blood pressure levels. However, some individuals may experience headaches, nosebleeds or shortness of breath. If you’re monitoring your blood pressure at home and discover you are in a state of hypertensive crisis, you should consult with your doctor immediately or call 911.

Depending on your condition, your physician may recommend prescription medications to help combat your high blood pressure. However, there are several other lifestyle changes you can make to help support healthy blood pressure levels.

Excess weight gain and obesity can contribute to high blood pressure. So, getting plenty of regular exercise and eating a healthy diet may assist you in combating hypertension. Chronic stress also has the potential to have adverse effects on blood pressure. You can find several tools for stress relief, like massagers, aromatherapy diffusers and other relaxation devices to help minimize stress.

Reducing the amount of alcohol, caffeine and sodium you ingest may also help lower blood pressure.See Disclosure ⁴ But, one of the best ways to make sure your blood pressure levels don’t become too elevated is to regularly monitor your health with the help of a physician and at-home health monitoring tools. 

1. Flint, Alexander C., Carol Conell, Xiushui Ren, Nader M. Banki, Sheila L. Chan, Vivek A. Rao, Ronald B. Melles and Deepak L. Bhatt. “Effect of Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure on Cardiovascular Outcomes.” The New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts Medical Society. July 17, 2019. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1803180.

2. Basile, Jan N. “Systolic Blood Pressure.” The BMJ, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. October 26, 2002. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124431/.

3. Burnier, Michel and Damianaki, Aikaterini. “Hypertension as Cardiovascular Risk Factor in Chronic Kidney Disease.” Circulation Research, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. April 13, 2023. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.321762.

4. Villines, Zawn. “50 Foods and Drinks to Avoid for People with High Blood Pressure.” Medical News Today, Healthline Media. October 27, 2023. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/foods-to-avoid-with-high-blood-pressure.