How Is High Blood Pressure Tested And Diagnosed?

One of the most common questions people have about high blood pressure is, "How is it diagnosed?", and "What does the testing involve?". Here's a brief look at what to expect.

High Blood Pressure Testing

Having yourself tested for high blood pressure is really quite simple, but just having ONE test is not enough for your doctor to make a diagnosis that you suffer from hypertension.

There are a number of reasons why your blood pressure may be elevated during a test. It could be your nerves...that happens to me a lot. For example, when the nurse takes my BP reading when I'm immediately taken back to the office, my reading is usually elevated. Doctors offices make me a nervous. But when the doctor takes my reading 15 minutes later, it is much lower.

Even if your reading is still quite high, your doctor will generally want you to return in a couple of weeks for another reading.

If you are on any medications such as cold medicine or taking any pain relievers, etc., this can easily be the cause of high readings. Or it can simply be a day that has seen you more stressed out than normal. This is why it takes more than just one test to make a diagnosis of high blood pressure.

Further Testing

When you make another visit to your doctor for your blood pressure reading...and it tests high again, then you'll be diagnosed with hypertension. There are many underlying reasons for having high blood pressure, and we won't go through them in this article, but you'll find more information on that on our site.

Your doctor may also want to do some additional tests such as an ECG, a simple blood test and a urine test. This is very common, so don't assume the worst. These tests will give your doctor a much more clear picture of what is going on inside your body.

What Determines A High Blood Pressure Diagnosis?

Here's a look at the numbers for what the generally accepted standards for normal and high blood pressure readings are:

Normal Range

Systolic - Under 120

Diastolic - Under 80

Pre-Hypertension

Systolic - 120 - 139

Diastolic - 80 -89

Stage One Hypertentsion

Systolic - 140 - 159

Diastolic - 90 - 99

Stage Two Hypertension

Systolic - 160 and over

Diastolic - 100 and over

What Happens Next?

Once your doctor has established a base line reading and the fact that you indeed have hypertension, you'll need to make some lifestyle changes. Sure, you can simply be put on drugs and be on your way, but that only treats the symptoms...but doesn't cure the cause.

Taking high blood pressure medicine should be your LAST resort. Aside from having to take medicine everyday, there are also some nasty side effects to deal with in most cases.

Only after you've made some of these changes and there is still no improvement in lowering your BP readings will your doctor put you on blood pressure medicine.

The good news is that in many cases, simple lifestyle changes and natural herbal supplements can be all it takes to lower your blood pressure back to a normal reading.