What Your Blood Pressure Numbers Mean (Updated for Hypertension Canada 2025)

Hypertension Canada now defines high blood pressure as 130/80 or higher. Learn what your numbers mean, how to measure at home correctly and when to get help.

High blood pressure rarely causes symptoms, yet it is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and dementia. Knowing your numbers, and measuring them properly, is one of the most useful things you can do for your long-term health.

Enter your readings into our free blood pressure checker to see where they fall, then use this guide to understand the results.

The two numbers

Blood pressure is written as two numbers, such as 124/78 mmHg (millimetres of mercury):

• Systolic (top number): the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.
• Diastolic (bottom number): the pressure when your heart rests between beats.

Both matter. If either number is high on repeated, properly taken readings, it counts.

What changed in 2025

In 2025, Hypertension Canada released a new guideline for primary care. The key changes:

• Hypertension is now defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher. The same threshold applies whether readings are taken in the clinic with an automated device, at home or with a 24-hour ambulatory monitor.
• The treatment target is a systolic pressure below 130 mmHg for most adults being treated.
• Home or ambulatory readings are strongly encouraged to confirm a diagnosis, because readings outside the clinic better reflect your day-to-day pressure and can catch high blood pressure that is missed in the office.

Having a reading of 130/80 or higher does not automatically mean you need medication. Your provider will consider your overall risk, other health conditions and repeated readings. Lifestyle changes are recommended for everyone with raised blood pressure.

How to measure your blood pressure at home

Home readings are only useful if they are accurate. Start with a validated, upper-arm device. Hypertension Canada keeps a list of recommended devices that have passed accuracy testing; look for its logo or check the list before you buy.

Before you measure

• Avoid caffeine, smoking and exercise for at least 30 minutes beforehand.
• Empty your bladder.
• Use the right cuff size for your arm. A cuff that is too small can give falsely high readings.

How to sit and take readings

• Sit quietly for five minutes with your back supported and feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed.
• Rest your bare arm on a table so the cuff is at heart level.
• Do not talk or use your phone during the reading.
• Take two readings, about one minute apart.
• Measure in the morning and evening for seven days, ideally before taking blood pressure medication if you use it.

Write down every reading or use a device that stores them, and bring the full record to your appointment. Your provider will usually look at the average rather than any single number.

Everyday habits that lower blood pressure

Lifestyle changes can make a real difference, either on their own or alongside medication:

• Cut back on sodium. Most sodium comes from packaged, restaurant and processed foods rather than the salt shaker. Compare labels and choose lower-sodium options.
• Eat a DASH-style diet. Build meals around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lower-fat dairy, with less red and processed meat and fewer sugary drinks.
• Move regularly. Aim for moderate activity, like brisk walking, most days of the week.
• Limit alcohol. Less is better for blood pressure.
• Prioritise sleep. Poor sleep and untreated sleep apnea can raise blood pressure. Loud snoring with daytime sleepiness is worth mentioning to your provider.
• Manage weight and stress in ways that are sustainable for you.

Blood pressure in pregnancy

High blood pressure in pregnancy needs prompt attention because it can be a sign of preeclampsia, a serious condition that can affect both parent and baby. If you are pregnant or recently gave birth, seek urgent assessment at your hospital's labour and birth unit or emergency department if:

• your blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher
• you have a severe or persistent headache
• you notice vision changes, such as blurriness, flashing lights or spots
• you have sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet
• you have pain in your upper abdomen, or nausea and vomiting later in pregnancy

When to get urgent help

Call 9-1-1 right away if your blood pressure is 180/110 mmHg or higher and you have any of these symptoms:

• chest pain or pressure
• shortness of breath
• weakness or numbness, especially on one side of the body
• changes in vision or speech, or confusion
• a sudden, severe headache

If your reading is 180/110 or higher without symptoms, rest quietly for five minutes and measure again. If it is still that high, contact your doctor the same day or call 8-1-1 in BC for advice. For readings that are regularly 130/80 or higher, book an appointment with your family doctor or nurse practitioner to talk about next steps.