< Back To Health Topics High Blood Pressure < Back To Health Topics High Blood Pressure What Is High Blood Pressure? Causes and Risk Factors Living With High Blood Pressure Pregnancy and High Blood Pressure MORE INFORMATION Language switcher Half of all American adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Many don’t even know it. High blood pressure develops when blood flows through your arteries artery (ARR-tuh-ree): A blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the organs. Most arteries carry oxygenated blood. The pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood away from the heart to the lungs. at higher-than-normal pressures. Blood pressures are written as two numbers separated by a slash like this: 120/80 mm Hg. You can say this as “120 over 80 millimeters of mercury” or just as “120 over 80.” The first number is your systolic systolic (sis-TOL-ik): The phase of circulation when the heart pumps and the pressure of blood against the vessels is highest. pressure — that’s the force of the blood flow when blood is pumped out of the heart. The second number is your diastolic diastolic (DY-uh-stol-ik): The phase of circulation when the heart fills and the pressure of blood against the vessels is lowest. pressure, which is measured between heartbeats when the heart is filling with blood.

Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. A healthy systolic blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg. A healthy diastolic pressure is less than 80 mm Hg. Your blood pressure is high when you have consistent systolic readings of 130 mm Hg or higher, or diastolic readings of 80 mm Hg or higher. Blood pressure levels Symptoms Symptom (SIMP-tum): A problem that a patient experiences that may indicate disease but cannot be seen and does not show up on medical tests or procedures; some examples include headache, fatigue, nausea, or pain. from high blood pressure don’t usually occur until it causes serious health problems. About 1 in 3 U.S. adults with high blood pressure aren’t even aware they have it and are not being treated to control their blood pressure. That’s why it is important to have your blood pressure checked at least once a year. Regular monitoring using home blood pressure is also recommended. To control or lower high blood pressure, your healthcare provider may recommend that you adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle that includes: Choosing a heart-healthy dietary pattern and foods such as those in the DASH eating plan , the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, or the Mediterranean eating pattern Being physically active and reducing sedentary behavior Losing weight for people with overweight or obesity Quitting smoking Reducing stress Getting enough good-quality sleep Your healthcare provider may also recommend medicines to help control your blood pressure. Controlling your blood pressure can help prevent or delay serious health problems such as chronic kidney disease , heart attack , heart failure , stroke , and possibly vascular dementia . Find resources on high blood pressure .