Understanding your blood pressure numbers
Every time you have your blood pressure checked, you hear two numbers — something like "128 over 82." Those numbers tell you something specific about how your heart and blood vessels are working, and knowing what they mean can help you take a more active role in your care.
What the two numbers mean
The top number (systolic) is the pressure in your arteries when your heart contracts and pushes blood out. The bottom number (diastolic) is the pressure between beats, when your heart is filling back up. Both matter, and providers look at trends over time, not single readings.
What's "normal"?
Current guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association group readings roughly like this:
- Normal: under 120 / under 80
- Elevated: 120–129 / under 80
- Stage 1 hypertension: 130–139 / 80–89
- Stage 2 hypertension: 140 or higher / 90 or higher
"Normal" depends on your age, other conditions, and the medications you take. A reading that's fine for one person may be a concern for another — your provider will calibrate the target with you.
Why home readings matter
A single in-office reading isn't the whole picture. "White-coat hypertension" — higher readings in clinical settings — is real, and so is "masked hypertension," where in-office readings look fine but home readings are high. A week of consistent home readings, taken correctly, is much more informative than any one office visit.
If we ask you to do home monitoring, we'll show you how to take the readings, what cuff to use, and how to log them in your patient portal. Most patients log morning and evening readings for one to two weeks, then share the log at the next visit.
When to call
Most blood pressure changes are slow and don't need urgent attention — your routine visit is the right place. But call us, or seek urgent care, if you have:
- Readings consistently above 180/120, even without symptoms.
- A reading that high with symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, vision change, weakness, or confusion — in that case, call 911. Don't drive yourself.