When to Seek Treatment

A constant blood pressure value between 120/80 and 139/89 is specific to what’s called hypertension. You are one step away from developing chronic hypertension and you should take precautions to preserve your cardiovascular system. A healthy diet, with the right amount of calories and the right vitamins and minerals, is crucial and you should choose food that is low on sugar, salt and saturated fats. Alcohol consumption should be limited, and so should caffeine and nicotine usage. Regular exercising is also an important aspect.

If several consecutive tests show a blood pressure higher than 140/90, it means you suffer from hypertension. You are at risk of serious, potentially fatal, complications like strokes and heart attacks, heart or renal failures. Besides the need to amend your lifestyle, you will also have to take prescription medications.

Of course it is desirable to have low blood pressure, but a value that is on the lower end of the scale is not always a good thing. A measurement below 60 mmHg implies that you have hypotension. Severely low blood pressure levels can cause organ damage and even failure. Of course, as with high blood pressure, medical attention is also required in case of hypotension.