We did a thing in health class where we had to test out blood pressure. Mine was 116/88. I know that number on the bottom is too high but i don’t get what it means if the one of the top is below 120. Help?
Is my blood pressure considered high?
22
Jun
scott b
June 22, 2010 at 11:56 am
First of all, no. That’s not high. Secondly, BP readings can vary quite a bit by circumstance. Even from minute to minute. So you can NEVER judge by one reading alone. The only way to really tell where you stand is to do many checks over a period of time.
Boomer Wisdom
June 22, 2010 at 12:30 pm
No. At your age it could be lower, but you really can’t trust just one reading. BP and pulse jump around throughout the day.
The trick is to check it accurately and often. Most people’s BP will creep up through the years as they age. Most of us middle-aged folks would LOVE to have a regular blood pressure of 116/88.
General guidelines change, but usually (at your age), you want to get concerned if it hovers above 120 systolic on a regular basis.
Whatever you do, stay active, exercise, and dump any excess weight. That will protect you from problems later in life.
Some very useful information: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2114
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2112
Teah
June 22, 2010 at 1:17 pm
No your blood pressure is not considered as high. Also blood pressure varies through out the day. The bottom number is the pressure of the heart at rest (between beats) and as the heart is filling with blood, and the number at the top is the heart beating which is working harder to pump blood around the body.