Blood pressure chart on this page can be helpful to figure out if your blood pressure is at a healthy number or if you need to take steps to improve your numbers.

Blood pressure reading includes systolic and diastolic pressure values. Systolic blood pressure is the peak pressure when the heart contracts while pumping blood. Diastolic blood pressure is the drop in force when the heart is at rest between beats.

Often blood pressure is noted as the systolic number above or before the diastolic, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury, the unit to measure pressure.)

Naturally, aging loses the elasticity of the arteries. Thus blood pressure rises with age. The blood pressure chart on this page provides blood pressure related to age.

We came to know through medical studies that there is a thumb rule for the systolic number is 100 plus your age for men (100 plus age minus 10 for female).

The study SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) found that when systolic blood pressure was lowered to below 120 mmHg, there was a 27 % reduction in mortality from all causes compared to below 140 mmHg.

Some modern physicians thought that healthy blood pressure reading is 120/80 mmHg regardless of any consideration for age. Yes, it is always better to manage this number without considering the age. However, if you find hurdles, then it is ok for you to relax your target a little based on age.

Eight blood pressure categories or classifications

Eight blood pressure categories are as below (in mmHg):

1. Optimal BP – Below 120 (SBP) & 80 (DBP). Best or most favorable blood pressure range. This range is good for your heart, kidney, other internal organs, and for overall health.
2. Normal BP – Below 130 (SBP) & 85 (DBP). Blood pressure range noted among most healthy individuals. Even if it is not optimal, it is still considering a good number. Keep it up, stick with a healthy diet, and doing regular exercise.
3. Prehypertension – Within 130 to 139 (SBP) & 85 to 89 (DBP). Prehypertension is considering as an alarm that you may develop hypertension at any time. Prehypertension individuals are likely to develop high blood pressure unless you introduce necessary healthy habits.
4. Grade 1 HTN – Within 140 to 159 (SBP) & 90 to 99 (DBP). Stage 1 hypertension individual needs lifestyle changes and may consider taking blood pressure medication.
5. Grade 2 HTN – Within 160 to 179 (SBP) & 100 to 109 (DBP). Stage 2 hypertension individual needs to take combination hypertension medication along with healthy lifestyle changes.
6. Grade 3 HTN – Above 180 (SBP) & 110 (SBP). Stage 3 hypertension individual require immediate emergency medical care.
7. Isolated systolic HTN (grade 1) – SBP within 140 to 159 & DBP below 90. Stage 1 isolated systolic hypertension individuals require a lifestyle change and may consider taking hypertension drugs. Care should be taken to avoid DBP less than 55 mm Hg in older patients with ISH.
8. Isolated systolic HTN (grade 2) – SBP above 160 & DBP below 90. Stage 1 isolated systolic hypertension individuals require a lifestyle change and may consider taking hypertension drugs. Care should be taken to avoid DBP less than 55 mm Hg in older patients with ISH.

What blood pressure category you belong?

When systolic and diastolic blood pressures fall into different categories, you should use the higher category to classify blood pressure levels. For example, 150/79 mmHg would be stage 1 hypertension.

Also, you can consider hypertension even if you one number is high regardless of the other. If your systolic number is 140 or more, you may have hypertension, also if your diastolic number is healthy. If your diastolic number is 90 or more, you may have hypertension, even if your systolic number is healthy.

Blood pressure is a vital indication, which reveals the overall health of a person. To understand healthy blood pressure range, you require to know what systolic and diastolic blood pressures are.

• Systolic blood pressure is the blood pressure number when the heart contracts (beats).
• Diastolic blood pressure is the blood pressure number between heartbeats (when the heart rests).

Blood pressure has two numbers, the upper one is systolic, and a lower one is diastolic. The systolic pressure represents the heart contracting pressure, while the diastolic pressure represents the heart relaxing pressure (in-between heart contracts).

Our body cells need nutrients and oxygen to fulfill their energy needs. Blood circulation provides these nutrient and oxygen to every tissue, muscles, organs and cells through blood circulation from the heart to every part within the body.

The heart is a muscular pump that pumps blood throughout the body during your entire life span. Low oxygen blood enter into the lungs and reloaded with oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood sent throughout the body. The heart pumps out blood with some pressure so that it can easily reach extremes. This pumping of heart generates blood pressure.

How does your body maintain healthy Blood Pressure?

Baroreceptors are sensors in the blood vessels that sense the blood pressure and send it to the brain, so that the brain maintains a healthy blood pressure by communicating with the kidneys, arteries, veins, and heart to increase, decrease, or maintain blood pressure, as needed. Its function is to ensure all the organs and tissues receives sufficient blood supply.

If your blood pressure is too high, baroreceptors send a signal to the brain. The brain instructs

• The heart to beat slower, pump less blood per beat,
• Relaxes the arteries that carry oxygen-enriched blood from the heart,
• Constrict the veins that carry oxygen-depleted blood to the heart.

Results in a drop in blood pressure until it attains healthy blood pressure.

On the other hand, if your blood pressure is too low, baroreceptors send signals to the brain. The brain instructs

• The heart to beat faster, pump more blood per beat,
• Constructs the arteries that carry oxygen-enriched blood from the heart,
• Relaxes the veins that carry oxygen-depleted blood to the heart.

Results in rise in the blood pressure until it attains healthy blood pressure.

If the above said control loop not able to maintain healthy blood pressure, then next master control system involving kidney is pressed into the service.

• If the blood pressure is high, kidney pulls more water out of the blood by excreting more urine than usual thus decrease blood pressures.
• If the blood pressure is low, kidney keeps more water in the blood by excreting less urine than usual thus increases blood pressure.

This control loop is slow acting; it takes hours compared to baroreceptor control which is very quick.

What is normal healthy blood pressure?

There is no standard for normal healthy blood pressure; this value varies from one country to another and from one institution to another based on their experience and the knowledge.

Normal blood pressure range is a blood pressure needed to keep the system healthy, and the chances of developing complication are at the lowest.

Based on the studies and collective information, the common opinion is a systolic blood pressure of 110 plus or minus 10 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 70 plus or minus 10 mmHg.

The study SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) found that when systolic blood pressure was lowered to below 120 mmHg, there was a 27 % reduction in mortality from all causes compared to below 140 mmHg.

Once you are diagnosed as hypertension, then you should know the reason behind the cause of hypertension.

Purpose of hypertension blood tests

Blood test for hypertension patients has three objectives are secondary hypertension causes, know whether hypertension caused organ damage, and know your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Evaluation of hypertension patients has three objectives; they are:

• Diagnose or rule out a secondary cause of high blood pressure (such as renal artery stenosis, hyperaldosteronism, pheochromocytoma, coarctation of the aorta, cushings's syndrome, renal disease and coarctation of the aorta).
• Check whether the high blood pressure has caused target organ damage (such as Coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, aortic aneurysm, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, hypertensive encephalopathy, chronic kidney failure, cerebral hemorrhage, stroke and heart failure).
• Check risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as a high-cholesterol level or high blood-glucose level (diabetes).

Obtain all this required information from your medical history, physical examination, laboratory investigations and other diagnostic procedures.

Hypertension Physical examination

Immediately, after hypertension diagnosis, your initial physical examination should include:

• Need to take three blood pressure measurements (ignore the first) on three separate occasions with the patient seated, back and arm supported.
• Measure BP in both arms, if the values are different, the higher value should use subsequently.
• Measures your height, weight and waist circumference; waist circumference provides necessary information regarding cardiovascular risk related to obesity.
• Examine for hypertensive retinopathy.
• Examine your neck for carotid bruits, distended veins or an enlarged thyroid gland.
• Heart examination for abnormalities in rate and rhythm, increased size, precordial heave, clicks, murmurs, and third & fourth heart sounds.
• Examine the lungs for rales (an abnormal crackling or rattling sound) and bronchospasm (spasmodic contraction of the smooth muscle of the bronchi, as in asthma).
• Examine the abdomen for bruits, enlarged kidneys, masses and abnormal aortic pulsation.
• Examine the extremities for diminished/absence of peripheral arterial pulsations, bruits and edema.
• Neurological examination
• Initial laboratory studies

Initial tests for hypertension

Initial lab tests should include:

• Use a 12-lead electrocardiogram to look for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), using voltage criteria.
• Urinalysis is to measure protein and blood levels in urine.
• Complete blood cell count
• Perform the random plasma glucose test, if elevated; do fasting blood glucose, OGTT, or A1C test?
• Measure the serum electrolyte levels - sodium, potassium, creatinine (test that measures kidney function), and calcium.
• Random lipid profile; it includes total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Additional tests will order based on clinical findings. These may include but are not limited to complete blood count, chest x-ray, uric acid and urine micro-albumin.

Blood pressure test is quick and easy, it measures pressure in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and recorded as two numbers systolic over a diastolic, example, 120 over 80 or 120/80.

Blood pressure is a vital indicator of the overall health. To understand blood pressure diagnosis you require to know about:

• Systolic blood pressure – this is the blood pressure when the heart contracts (beats). It is the first or top number in the blood pressure measurement.
• Diastolic blood pressure – this is the blood pressure between heartbeats (when the heart rests or relaxes). It is the second or bottom number in the blood pressure measurement.

8 blood pressure categories in mmHg

1. Optimal BP – Below 120 (SBP) & 80 (DBP). The most favorable blood pressure range. This range is good for your heart, kidney, other internal organs, and for overall health. Recheck BP every year.
2. Normal BP – Below 130 (SBP) & 85 (DBP). Blood pressure range noted among most healthy individuals, even if it is not optimal. Recheck BP every year.
3. Prehypertension – Within 130 to 139 (SBP) & 85 to 89 (DBP). Prehypertension is an alarm that you may develop hypertension at any time. Recheck BP once in 3 to 6 months.
4. Grade 1 HTN – Within 140 to 159 (SBP) & 90 to 99 (DBP). Stage 1 hypertension individual needs lifestyle changes and may consider taking medication. Recheck BP once in 2 months & treat accordingly.
5. Grade 2 HTN – Within 160 to 179 (SBP) & 100 to 109 (DBP). Stage 2 hypertension individual may need to take combination hypertension medication. Recheck BP within one month & confirm treatment.
6. Grade 3 HTN – Above 180 (SBP) & 110 (SBP). Stage 3 hypertension individual require immediate emergency medical care. Recheck BP within one week, until BP drops.
7. Isolated systolic HTN (grade 1) – SBP within 140 to 159 & DBP below 90. Stage 1 isolated systolic hypertension individuals require a lifestyle change and drug. Care should be taken to avoid DBP less than 55 mm Hg in older patients with ISH. Recheck BP once in 2 months & treat accordingly.
8. Isolated systolic HTN (grade 2) – SBP above 160 & DBP below 90. Stage 1 isolated systolic hypertension individuals require a lifestyle change and drugs. Care should be taken to avoid DBP less than 55 mm Hg in older patients with ISH. Recheck BP within one month & confirm treatment.

How to you prepare yourself for hypertension diagnosis?

Blood pressure measurement can influence by numerous factors; thus, you should prepare yourself to avoid these negative influences.

• Coffee or smoking - Do not drink coffee or smoke cigarettes for 30 minutes before the test. Smoking and caffeine may cause a short-term rise in the blood pressure.
• Empty your bladder - Go to the bathroom, urinate to empty the bladder, a full bladder can show an elevated blood pressure reading.
• Sit comfortably - Sit in a comfortable position for 5 minutes before the test, movement can cause short-term rises in blood pressure.
• No tension/anxiety - Avoid tension-anxiety and make yourself-cool, anxiety may raise pressure.
• Rest before measurement - Do not perform any strong physical activity before blood pressure diagnosis.

Correct procedure for hypertension diagnosis
Blood pressure measurement is easy to take using sphygmomanometer or automatic blood pressure monitor; it takes just less than 5 minutes for a single reading.

How to take blood pressure measurement?

• BP on both arm - Blood pressure measurement varies from one arm to another; measure blood pressure in both arms and use the arm with higher reading for subsequent measurements.
• Relax - You should relax for at least 5 minutes in a proper sitting position before BP measurement.
• Support the arm - Rest your arm by supporting it at the level of the heart. Ensure no tight clothing that might constrict the arm.
• Proper cuff position - Neatly place the cuff with the indicator mark over the brachial artery. The bladder should cover at least 80 % of the arm (but not more than 100 % – that is bladder encircle over the bladder).
• Repeat three times - You should repeat blood pressure measurement three times and record measurement as displayed. Calculate an average value, which is your actual blood pressure number.

Both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in a blood pressure reading are important.

At a younger age, DBP number is most useful, and when grows older, SBP is especially significant.

How do you avoid incorrect hypertension diagnosis?

Blood pressure can vary from time to time and affected by many factors, the food you ate, the level of physical activity, your mental state (stress, anxiety, etc.) and much more. Some of those factors that can affect your blood pressure and may contribute to incorrect blood pressure measurement are:

• Biorhythms or circadian rhythm in blood pressure - your body responded rhythmically on the regular cycles of day, afternoon, evening, night, sun, moon and seasons. Similarly, the highest BP reading occurs during late morning up to the middle of the afternoon. The lowest reading occurs during early sleep. Therefore, discuss with your physician regarding this biorhythm before you confirmed as high blood pressure.
• Only one blood pressure reading has no meaning - Blood pressure can be influenced by the time during the day. Some of the influencers are food you have recently eaten (particularly salty foods), your mental state (stress, anxiety, etc.), the level of recent physical activity, how well you sleep on previous night and temperature inside the room. Therefore, you must take two to three BP reading at different times during a day; calculate the average that is your blood pressure number.
• White coat syndrome - high BP reading in front of white-coated persons (doctors, nurses or other health-care professional) otherwise the blood pressure is normal.

Blood pressure tends to rise with age unless taking steps to prevent or control it. Several conditions favor and contribute to the cause of hypertension.

Primary or essential hypertension is in about 90 to 95 percent of individuals with high blood pressure. There is no identifiable hypertension cause; it develops gradually over several years.

Secondary hypertension is in about 5 to 10 percent individual with high blood pressure. There is an identifiable underlying condition that causes hypertension; it develops suddenly. The various health conditions that cause hypertension are kidney problems, adrenal gland tumors, and congenital blood vessel defects.

5 Causes of Primary or Essential Hypertension

Even though we do not know the exact cause of high blood pressure; still, various studies show there are some health traits that can contribute to the causes.

1. Salt-sensitive individuals - are more likely to develop water retention, which in turn causes elevated blood pressure. A study confirms that the majority of people with hypertension are oversensitive to salt.
2. Abnormality in the arteries – the majority of the hypertensive have some particular defect in the arteries. The abnormalities are arterial stiffness (lack of elasticity) and narrow.  Narrowing or stiffening of arteries leads to rising in blood pressure. Narrowing of arteries is due to aging and other health conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol, etc.
3. Blood volume increase or forceful heart beating - That is more than the average volume of blood and heart beating forcibly leads to elevated blood pressure.
4. Genetic disorders - approximately about 30 % of essential hypertension are due to hereditary, mostly affecting the hormones of the adrenal gland may cause hypertension.
5. Sensitive individuals - Stressful life leads to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, causing a rise in norepinephrine release. It leads to an increase in cardiac output, thus rise in blood pressure.

According to Ayurveda, impaired digestion leads to accumulation of ama (toxins) in the system preventing normal blood flow, which leads to the high blood pressure.

In the case of primary hypertension of unknown cause, you need anti-hypertension drug treatment to manage blood pressure at a healthy pressure range.

7 Causes of Secondary Hypertension

In few with high blood pressure, their underlying health condition causes hypertension. Mostly, they develop suddenly due to the severity of the health condition responsible for its cause.

In few with high blood pressure, their underlying health condition causes hypertension. Mostly, this develops suddenly due to the severity of the health condition responsible for its cause.

Some of the medical conditions causing secondary hypertension are problems with kidney, adrenal, thyroid, congenital blood vessels, sympathetic nervous system, and hypokalemia.

Some of the medical conditions causing hypertension are:

1.    Kidney Damage - Without proper kidney functions, the toxins in the body are not filtered out. A defect in the kidneys cannot properly regulate blood pressure and leads to hypertension.

a.    Renal artery stenosis (Renovascular disease) - this kidney condition that can increase renin release. Then, it raises the levels of angiotensin II and aldosterone. The increase in renin increases blood volume due to improved reabsorption of sodium and water. The rise in angiotensin II causes an increase in cardiac output. The net effect is elevated blood pressure.

b.    Chronic renal disease - is damage to the nephrons in the kidney occurs due to any number of pathologic processes. This condition stops the kidney to excrete a reasonable quantity of sodium, leads to sodium and water retention. Therefore, blood volume increases; thus, blood pressure gets elevated.

2.    Adrenal problems (tumor, adenoma, or hyperplasia) increases aldosterone circulation, which causes sodium and water retention. Thus creating an elevation in blood pressure.

a.    Pheochromocytoma – are tumors in the adrenal. It leads to high levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine. It leads to systemic vasoconstriction and cardiac stimulation; this contributes to a rise in blood pressure.

b.    Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System - It produces angiotensin and aldosterone hormones. Angiotensin constricts blood vessels; this leads to an increase in blood pressure. Aldosterone controls the kidney’s fluid and salt level balance. Increased aldosterone activity may change kidney function, increase blood volumes, and high blood pressure.

3.    Thyroid disorder - both hyper and hypothyroidism can cause high blood pressure. Although hypertension mechanism is not still precise. The increase in thyroxine levels causes an increase in blood volume and a rise in heart rate; both this may contribute to an elevation in blood pressure.

4.    Congenital blood vessels defect - Structural and functional changes of small and large arteries may cause high blood pressure. The angiotensin pathway and the immune system may stiffen small and large arteries; this affects blood pressure.

5.    Sympathetic Nervous System Activity - has vital functions in blood pressure regulation; they are heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. Imbalances in this system cause high blood pressure.

6.    Neuroendocrine Tumor - are abnormal growths in endocrine glands. Endocrine glands produce hormones. These hormones produced excessively by the endocrine tumors and released into the blood. People with a neuroendocrine tumor may cause high blood pressure.

7.    Hypokalemia - a condition characterizes by the low level of potassium in the blood than usual. It causes sodium-potassium imbalance, leads to sodium & water retention, causing an increase in blood pressure.

In the case of secondary hypertension with the known cause, you need to treat the underlying condition first, at the same time, you need anti-hypertensive medication too.

Some people experiencing elevated blood pressure in front of doctors or nurses (white coats) otherwise the blood pressure is normal considering as white coat hypertension/syndrome.

White-coat hypertension occurs in 15% to 30% of subjects with an elevated office blood pressure.

What causes white coat hypertension?

White coat effects often because of stress, nervous, or anxious about having your blood pressure tested by a doctor or nurse.

If you are anxious, systolic and diastolic blood pressure may rise to 30mmHg.

These causes are mostly due to the clinical environment. Many knowing have and feel their nervous or anxious. Few others unknowingly have this feeling.

What are the symptoms of white coat hypertension?

7 common white coat syndrome symptoms are:

1. Racing heart - or palpitation means heart beats harder or faster.
2. Unusual sweating
3. Trembling or Shaking
4. Shortness of breath (Swallow breathing)
5. Cold or sweaty limbs
6. Not being able to be still and calm.
7. Dry mouth

If any of the above-said symptoms exist in the clinical environment, then suspects white coat hypertension.

How do know you have white coat syndrome?

You may be nervous or anxious about your blood pressure taken by the doctor or nurse without you or your doctor realizing it. The only way to know for sure is to compare the readings taken in the doctor’s office with readings taken at home. 

If your doctor suspects white coat hypertension, then he/she may ask to check your blood pressure at home or to wear a device called an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. Usually, worn this device for 24 hours and can take blood pressure every 30 minutes.

What can you do about white coat hypertension?

You should wait for 3 to 5 minutes before measuring your blood pressure. The best practice is to take 3 BP measurements and average the readings to get your exact blood pressure measurement.

Relax and calm down helps to bring your blood pressure back to normal. Just rest for a while before having your blood pressure measured. Take few deep breath, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates.

Studies have been suggested that white coat hypertension may simply be a precursor of sustained hypertension.

Reference: Isolated office hypertension: a prehypertensive state? Journal of Hypertension. 1996; 14:327–332. People with white coat hypertension do not need any treatment. Still, they are more prone to hypertension later in their lives.

Thus people with white coat syndrome need to follow high blood pressure lifestyle changes to prevent or avoid hypertension.

Specific traits, conditions, or habits might increase your chances to develop hypertension called high blood pressure risk factors.

Many of the below said hypertension risk factors can be modified by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

1. Overweight or Obesity – if the body mass index (BMI) is between 25 to 30 kg/m3 is considering as overweight and if the BMI is more than 30kg/m3 is considering as obese.  Excess weight increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. Therefore, lose weight until you reach a healthy weight. Obese people are two to six times more likely to develop high blood pressure.
2. Unhealthy diet - especially high carb, high sodium and low potassium diet. Too much of refined carb & sodium and too little of potassium tends to raise your blood pressure. On the other hand, reducing sodium and raising potassium can lower your blood pressure. Avoid packed and preserved foods, because they contain large quantities of sugar, refined carbs, sodium salt, and chemicals.
3. Alcohol use - drinking too much alcohol tends to raise blood pressure, anything less than one to two drinks of alcohol per day is considering ok.
4. Lack of physical activity – tends to develop obesity and high blood pressure.
5. Smoking – can harden/stiffen (lose elasticity) the arteries and lead to elevated blood pressure.
6. Stress – situations make the adrenalin gland to secrete more adrenaline hormones. Also, long lasting stress makes the body practiced to this excess adrenaline, in due course leads to elevated blood pressure.
7. Certain Medicines - Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen) can worsen or develop high blood pressure. Additionally, it causes damage to the kidneys, worsens heart failure, and increases heart attack or stroke risk. A cough and cold medicines containing decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate by constricting your arteries, not only those in your nose. Birth controls pills contain a synthetic mixture of hormones estrogen and progesterone; these hormone can raise your blood pressure.
8. Certain chronic conditions - may increase your risk of high blood pressure, they are diabetes, kidney disease, and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterize by stop breathing for a while (10 and even up to 30 seconds) during sleep. Hormone-replacement therapy can induce elevated blood pressure in some individual.
9. Low in Vitamin D - can lead to high blood pressure. Researchers suggest vitamin D may affect an enzyme made by your kidneys raises your blood pressure. Exposing to the rising sun for about 10 to 30 minutes is the easy, safe, and economical fix for this problem.
10. Aging – greatly increases the likelihood to develop high blood pressure, especially elevated systolic readings, this is mostly due to hardening of arteries due to aging.
11. Family history – hereditary play an important role towards high blood pressure; it appears to run in families. It might be most likely due to the unhealthy lifestyle that is carried over to the next generation.
12. Gender - men have an increased chance of developing high blood pressure than women.
13. Prehypertension or gestational hypertension – those who have already diagnosed as hypertension or having had high blood pressure during pregnancy, are more likely to develop hypertension than normal individuals.

Aging, family history, gender, and prehypertension/gestational hypertension are the risk factors that cannot be modified called unchangeable or non-modifiable hypertension risk factors. Other risk factors can be reduced with some consistent healthy lifestyle changes called changeable or modifiable hypertension risk factors.