Do I have high blood pressure?Īnyone can have high blood pressure. One reason to visit your doctor regularly is to have your blood pressure checked and, if needed, plan how to manage your blood pressure. It is the most common form of high blood pressure in older adults and can lead to serious health problems in addition to shortness of breath during light physical activity, lightheadedness upon standing too fast, and falls.
This problem is called isolated systolic hypertension and is due to age-related stiffening of the major arteries. High blood pressure is defined as systolic pressure of 130 or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 80 or higher.įor older adults, often the first number (systolic) is 130 or higher, but the second number (diastolic) is less than 80.Elevated blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure between 120 and 129 with a diastolic pressure of less than 80.Normal blood pressure for most adults is defined as a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80.It can be caused by not getting enough fluids, blood loss, some medical conditions, or medications, including those prescribed for high blood pressure. If you have low blood pressure, you may feel lightheaded, weak, dizzy, or even faint. Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is systolic blood pressure lower than 90 or diastolic blood pressure lower than 60.
Blood pressure levels are classified based on those two numbers.
The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, is the pressure when your heart relaxes and fills with blood.Ī blood pressure reading is given as the systolic blood pressure number over the diastolic blood pressure number. The first number, called systolic blood pressure, is the pressure caused by your heart contracting and pushing out blood. When a health care professional measures your blood pressure, they use a blood pressure cuff around your arm that tightens and then gradually loosens. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as the heart pumps blood.
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