Understanding Your Numbers

Understanding—and remembering—your blood pressure numbers can be hard. But it’s important to know your numbers. Knowing your numbers can help you better understand the blood pressure goals you and your doctor have set.

The following chart will help you understand:

• High blood pressure numbers
• Numbers that mean a person is at risk for high blood pressure (called prehypertension)
• Normal blood pressure numbers for adults

How high is too high?

*Based upon guidelines from the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure

There are 2 stages of high blood pressure.

Stage 1 is mild high blood pressure. Stage 2 is moderate to severe high blood pressure. Be sure to review your blood pressure numbers with your doctor. If you have certain health conditions, your target blood pressure may be different than it would be otherwise. Together with your doctor, you can decide what your target blood pressure should be.

Notice and Healthcare Provider Certification

The following information is intended only for healthcare professionals licensed and practicing in the United States and is designed to be an educational aid that supplements and draws upon the professional training, experience, and knowledge of such healthcare professionals. If you are a patient or consumer, or are seeking the information for the benefit of a patient or consumer, please see the patient information section of our site, which has been specifically designed to provide information of interest to patients and consumers.

Do you certify that you are a healthcare professional licensed and practicing your profession in the United States?