Your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes and consider starting you on medication to lower your blood pressure.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90.

Your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes and will consider whether you also need medication.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic 130-139 or diastolic 80-89.

Lifestyle changes and monitoring your blood pressure may be all you need at this point.

Elevated blood pressure: Your systolic pressure is 120-129, and your diastolic pressure is less than 80.

(They’ll also recommend lifestyle habits that help lower blood pressure.) Deciding whether you need medication is often done on a case-by-case basis, depending on what else is going on with your health and on your preferences. If you need medication, your doctor will consider which type is best for you.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

If you also need medication to lower your blood pressure, there are several types:

Limiting alcohol to no more than one drink a day for women or two for men.

It favors vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- fat dairy, poultry, fish, and chicken. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is designed to improve blood pressure. You can expect to shave about 1 point off your blood pressure numbers for each pound lost. Studies show benefits with 3-4 sessions per week, each lasting 40 minutes, of aerobic exercise (the kind that makes your heart beat faster).

Read the Nutrition Facts label on food products. Ask your doctor what your daily sodium limit should be.

Treatments include lifestyle changes, and if that’s not enough, they may also include medications. Is your blood pressure above the normal range, in either or both systolic and diastolic levels? Your doctor will want to have more than one blood pressure reading before diagnosing hypertension. Stick with an active lifestyle and healthy diet to keep that going. If you have normal blood pressure, your blood pressure is less than 120/80.

Call 911.Įven if your diastolic number is normal (lower than 80), you can have elevated blood pressure if the systolic reading is 120-129. This is what your diastolic blood pressure number means: This is the time when the heart fills with blood and gets oxygen. The diastolic reading, or the bottom number, is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. What Does the Diastolic Blood Pressure Number Mean?

Stage I: high blood pressure (also called hypertension): 130-139.

Here’s how to understand your systolic blood pressure number:

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