Most people with high blood pressure feel completely well. That is precisely the problem: there is no symptom to prompt a visit, and the damage accumulates quietly in the arteries, kidneys, eyes and heart over years.
By the time hypertension causes symptoms, it has usually caused something else as well.
What the two numbers mean
The upper number, systolic, is the pressure while the heart contracts. The lower, diastolic, is the pressure between beats. Both matter, and in adults over about 50 the systolic number tends to carry more weight.
Categories differ slightly between international guidelines, but a reading consistently at or above 140/90 measured in clinic is generally treated as hypertension, with a lower threshold used for home readings.
Why home readings are worth the trouble
White-coat hypertension — readings that rise in a clinical setting and are normal elsewhere — is common. So is its opposite, masked hypertension, where clinic readings look fine and the real pattern at home does not.
A week of readings taken twice daily, seated and rested, with the cuff at heart level, tells a doctor far more than a single measurement taken after you have hurried through Deira traffic to make your appointment.
- Sit quietly for five minutes before measuring
- Feet flat, back supported, arm resting at heart level
- Two readings a minute apart, morning and evening
- Record every reading, including the ones you do not like
What raises it, and what lowers it
Salt intake, excess weight, alcohol, inactivity, poor sleep and chronic stress all push blood pressure up. Some medications do too, including certain painkillers and decongestants. A smaller proportion of cases have a specific underlying cause worth investigating, particularly when hypertension appears young or is unusually severe.
Reducing salt, losing excess weight and regular activity all lower blood pressure measurably. Where medication is needed, it is chosen based on your age, your other conditions and your kidney function — and the choice is often revisited.
Who should be checked, and when
Every adult should know their blood pressure. Checking becomes more important with a family history, with excess weight, with diabetes or prediabetes, in pregnancy, and from middle age onward. It takes two minutes and it is included in a routine consultation.
Common questions
Can I have high blood pressure and feel fine?
Yes, and most people do. Hypertension is usually symptomless until it has caused damage, which is why it is found by measurement rather than by how you feel.
Is one high reading a problem?
Not on its own. Blood pressure fluctuates, and stress, caffeine and even the journey to the clinic can raise it. A diagnosis is based on repeated readings, often supported by home measurements over a week.
Will I be on medication for life?
Not necessarily. Some people control blood pressure with weight loss, salt reduction and activity alone. Others need medication, sometimes long term. It is reviewed rather than decided once.
This article is general health information, not medical advice, and does not replace a consultation. Care at Smart Care Polyclinic is provided by DHA-licensed clinicians.