Don't trust those drug store machines, they aren't calibrated very often. I would have someone actually take your B/P with a B/P cuff and stethoscope for a more accurate reading. Make sure you haven't drank coffee or other stimulant type drinks. Be quiet during the test and don't move much. I always have to double check peoples B/P when they move or talk because it throws off the numbers in the cuff. I actually had to have my B/P rechecked during a physical because I drank coffee prior to going, Yeah! I was a dumb ass! But with just 2 cups of coffee my B/P was 140/100. My normal resting B/P is 126/76-78ish. So be careful prior to taking the test and while taking the test to get a accurate reading.
For your reading pleasure:
Health dangers from blood pressure may vary among different age groups and depending on whether systolic or diastolic pressure (or both) is elevated. A third measurement, pulse pressure, is becoming important as an indicator of severity:
High systolic blood pressure (the first and higher number) appears to be a significant indicator for heart complications, including death, in all ages, but especially in middle-aged and older adults. In fact, elevated systolic pressure may pose a significant danger for heart events and stroke events even when diastolic is normal, a condition called isolated systolic hypertension . The wider the spread between the systolic and diastolic measurements, the greater the danger. Isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension in people older than fifty; in one study it comprised 87% of hypertension cases in people between ages 50 and 59.
High diastolic pressure (the second and lower number) is a strong predictor of heart attack and stroke in young adults and in people of any age with essential hypertension . This is high blood pressure from unknown causes and occurs in the great majority of cases. [See Hypertension Categories, below.]
Pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and the diastolic readings. It appears to be an indicator of stiffness and inflammation in the blood-vessel walls. The greater the difference between systolic and diastolic numbers, the stiffer and more injured the vessels are thought to be. Although not yet used by physicians to determine treatment, evidence is suggesting that it may prove to be a strong predictor of heart problems, particularly in older adults. Some studies suggest that in people over 45 years old, every 10-mm Hg increase in pulse pressure increases the risk for stroke increases by 11%, cardiovascular disease by 10%, and overall mortality by 16%. (In younger adults the risks are even higher.)
L8R, J
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