High Blood Pressure | Heart and Vascular

Heart and Vascular

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) often has no symptoms. But it can significantly increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Medically reviewed by Surabhi Atreja, M.D. on Aug. 13, 2025.

Person getting their blood pressure taken in clinic.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Your blood pressure is a measure of the pressure in your arteries as the blood flows through them. When you get a blood pressure reading, there are two numbers — the systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) pressures. Both numbers are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

Systolic pressure measures the pressure as your heart pumps out blood. Diastolic measures the amount of pressure between heart beats. You have stage 1 hypertension (high blood pressure) if your systolic pressure is 130-139 mmHg or your diastolic pressure is 80-89 mmHg.

When your blood pressure is too high, it means that your heart has to work harder to pump enough blood through the body. At UC Davis Health, we help you keep your blood pressure in a healthy range to help prevent heart attack and stroke.  

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Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is sometimes called “the silent killer” because many people have no symptoms until it causes serious problems. If you experience severe symptoms of high blood pressure, seek medical help immediately.

Emergency Symptoms

Get medical care right away if you experience:

  • Abnormal heartbeat
  • Buzzing in the ears
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Severe headache
  • Trouble breathing
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Risk Factors for High Blood Pressure

Several factors can affect your blood pressure. Things that increase your risk of hypertension include:

Eating an Unhealthy Diet

A diet that contains too much sodium and not enough potassium can impact your blood pressure. Limiting processed foods and eating lots of fruits and vegetables will help you decrease sodium and increase potassium.

Family History

If you have relatives with high blood pressure, you are more likely to have it too.

Having Excess Weight

Overweight and obesity increase your risk of high blood pressure.

Not Getting Enough Exercise

Lack of physical activity can put you at greater risk for high blood pressure.

Smoking

Tobacco smoke can damage your blood vessels, which may lead to high blood pressure.

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Diagnosing High Blood Pressure

Since hypertension often has no symptoms, it’s important to get regular blood pressure readings. You can buy a blood pressure cuff to use at home in between visits with your health care professional.

Readings for blood pressure display as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure:

  • “Normal” range: < 120 mmHg over < 80 mmHg
  • Elevated blood pressure: 120-129 mmHg over < 80 mmHg
  • Hypertension stage 1: Systolic pressure 130-139 mmHg or diastolic pressure 80-89 mmHg

High Blood Pressure Treatments at UC Davis Health

As soon as your blood pressure numbers start to rise, we’ll work with you to bring them under control. Our Heart and Vascular Services team understands the importance of lowering your blood pressure to help prevent heart attack and stroke.

Lifestyle Changes

In many cases, lifestyle changes are enough to reverse high blood pressure. Your doctor will talk to you about resources to help you lose weight, improve your diet, exercise more, and quit smoking. We also offer the online class Better Blood Pressure Basics to teach you strategies for controlling your blood pressure.

Medication

We might prescribe one or more medications to lower your blood pressure. Blood pressure medications work by helping to relax blood vessels and reduce pressure.

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Preventing High Blood Pressure

There is a lot you can do to help prevent high blood pressure. These same steps can help you keep your blood pressure under control if it’s starting to rise.

Eat a Healthy Diet

A heart-healthy diet will help prevent high blood pressure. It includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. It doesn’t include a lot of sodium, added sugar, red meats, or processed meats.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Try to keep your weight within a healthy range for your sex, age, and height.

Exercise Regularly

Being physically active most days helps keep blood pressure lower. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderately intense aerobic activity (such as a brisk walk) plus some muscle-strengthening moves at least twice a week.

Quit Smoking

If you smoke or use tobacco products, quitting can have a positive effect on your blood pressure and overall heart health.

Who does it affect?

1 in 2People in the U.S. have high blood pressure

Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: What is High Blood Pressure?

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