Jasz
VIP Contributor
Well, for most people, low blood pressure is not nearly as harmful to their health as high blood pressure.
We have two types of blood pressure: systolic and diastolic. Systolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure is when your heart relaxes between beats. Most people are diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension if they have a systolic reading above 140 or diastolic reading above 90. If you have readings below these levels, you probably have normal blood pressure.
The term hypotension is used for low blood pressure, but it's more common to hear about high blood pressure because it's much more damaging to your health and can cause a lot of symptoms and problems. High blood pressure doesn't usually cause symptoms, which means that a large portion of the population doesn't know they even have it until they have health problems develop as a result. Low blood pressure is less common, and it usually only causes symptoms if it becomes severe enough to cause dizziness or treatment.
There's no official "cut-off" for low blood pressure—doctors generally don't treat low blood pressure unless it's causing symptoms like fainting or dizziness. Some people have naturally lower blood pressure than others. But most people who have high blood pressure need treatment.
We have two types of blood pressure: systolic and diastolic. Systolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure is when your heart relaxes between beats. Most people are diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension if they have a systolic reading above 140 or diastolic reading above 90. If you have readings below these levels, you probably have normal blood pressure.
The term hypotension is used for low blood pressure, but it's more common to hear about high blood pressure because it's much more damaging to your health and can cause a lot of symptoms and problems. High blood pressure doesn't usually cause symptoms, which means that a large portion of the population doesn't know they even have it until they have health problems develop as a result. Low blood pressure is less common, and it usually only causes symptoms if it becomes severe enough to cause dizziness or treatment.
There's no official "cut-off" for low blood pressure—doctors generally don't treat low blood pressure unless it's causing symptoms like fainting or dizziness. Some people have naturally lower blood pressure than others. But most people who have high blood pressure need treatment.