Blood pressure report · US guideline

My Blood Pressure is 126/66 - good or bad?

126/66

mmHg

Elevated

Systolic (upper)126 elevated

Diastolic (lower)66 normal

Each scale rates one number on its own; the higher category counts. Blue = low (systolic under 90 or diastolic under 60) — a common label, not an AHA/ACC category.

What this reading tells you

Your upper number has moved past 120 while the lower number is still under 80. Think of it as an early signal rather than a disease: people in this range are more likely to develop hypertension within a few years, and it is the easiest point to reverse.

Your systolic number is the one that sets the category here — the other one alone would rate as normal.

Next step: lifestyle changes are the first treatment at this level. Check again with a week of home readings (log below).

Your path to target

Tick the changes you could realistically make. Your systolic number is not yet in the hypertension range, so the estimate uses the smaller reductions seen in people without high blood pressure — a rough guide, not a promise. Combined changes help more, but not fully additively — so we show a range.

Eat the DASH way (vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy, whole grains) −3 mmHg
Cut sodium by at least 1,000 mg a day −2 mmHg
Get 3,500–5,000 mg potassium from food −2 mmHg
90–150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week −2 mmHg
Isometric training (e.g. wall sits) 3× a week −4 mmHg
Lose about 5 kg (11 lb) if overweight −2 mmHg
Drink no more than 1–2 drinks a day −3 mmHg

Today126

Possible systolic126

Normal is below 120/80.

How the measures work: Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure That Work · the DASH plan. If you take medication, these changes add to its effect.

Know your numbers

Mean arterial pressure86 mmHg

The average pressure that keeps your organs supplied — diastolic plus one third of the gap. Typical — within the usual range of 70–100.

Pulse pressure60 mmHg

Usual — within the range of 30–60; the arteries cushion each heartbeat as expected.

Questions to ask your doctor

Which lifestyle change would help me most?
When should we re-check — and should I measure at home?
Is my 10-year heart risk worth calculating?

Your 7-day home check

One reading can mislead. Measure twice each morning (before medication and coffee) and evening for a week, skip day 1, and average the rest. Print this log or copy it. How to measure: How to Check Your Blood Pressure at Home.

Day	AM 1	AM 2	PM 1	PM 2
1*
2
3
4
5
6
7

AM = morning, PM = evening, two readings one minute apart. *Day 1 is practice — leave it out of the average.

Print this page · Home average of 130/80 or higher counts as hypertension.

Look up another reading

Readings close to 126/66

Sources: 2025 AHA/ACC high blood pressure guideline (Hypertension 2025;82:e212–e316) · American Heart Association: When to call 911 about high blood pressure

MyBodyResearch explains readings in general terms; it does not diagnose. High blood pressure is confirmed with repeated measurements, and treatment decisions belong with your doctor.