High blood pressure is hypertension. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against your blood vessels. The blood is pumped by your heart and it travels throughout your body. During the day, your blood pressure levels vary.

If you have hypertension, the heart needs to work harder to pump the same amount of blood through the arteries. Being overweight/obese, being physically inactive, smoking, excess sodium, and alcohol use all are risk factors that you can control that contribute to developing hypertension.

By maintaining a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and being physically active can all reduce your chances of developing hypertension (or lowering your blood pressure if you already have it). Hypertension has no symptoms and cannot be felt, so it is very important to have your blood pressure checked often…and keep track of it! Below are the numbers you should know.

Systolic is the top number, or the number on the left.
Diastolic is the lower number, or the number on the right.
Written:
Systolic mmHg = 120 mmHg (mmHg=millimeter of mercury)
Diastolic mmHg = 80 mmHg
-OR-
120/70