Add your home readings to see the category for each one and your recent average. This organizes your numbers for a clinician — it does not diagnose.
Tools
Blood pressure log
Recent average
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mm Hg
Recent readingsTotal logged
Rest for five minutes
Share the trend
Educational only, not a diagnosis.
Categories follow ACC/AHA thresholds. A single reading is a snapshot — bring a pattern of properly taken readings to a licensed clinician.
If a reading is 180/120 or higher with symptoms, seek emergency care.
How the math works
The adult categories
These are the American Heart Association / ACC categories for adults. The higher of the two numbers sets your category, so 128/84 is Stage 1 because the diastolic is in the Stage 1 range even though the systolic is only "Elevated."
- Normal: below 120 and below 80.
- Elevated: 120-129 and below 80.
- Stage 1: 130-139 or 80-89.
- Stage 2: 140 or higher, or 90 or higher.
- Hypertensive crisis: higher than 180 and/or higher than 120 — seek care, especially with symptoms.
Getting reliable readings
Home readings are only useful when taken consistently. Rest for five minutes, sit with your back supported and feet flat, keep the cuff at heart height, and avoid caffeine, exercise and talking beforehand. Take two readings a minute apart and log both. A pattern over days is far more informative than any single number.
- Use a validated upper-arm cuff and the correct cuff size.
- Measure at similar times each day.
- Share the trend, not just one reading, with your clinician.
Sources
- American Heart Association: Understanding blood pressure readings — Source for the adult blood-pressure categories used here.
- AHA: Monitoring your blood pressure at home — How to take reliable home readings and when to average them.
- CDC: Measure your blood pressure — Public-health guidance on accurate measurement and follow-up.