Is 120/70 Good Blood Pressure or High Blood Pressure?
There are two parts or two separate numbers referred to as blood pressure: Systolic/Diastolic. If the blood pressure is 120/70 (120 over 70), it means that the systolic pressure is 120 and the diastolic pressure is 70.
120/70 blood pressure can also be read as 120/70 mm Hg, or 120/70 millimeters of mercury. The 120 mm Hg Systolic refers to the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats, and the 70 mm Hg Diastolic is the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.
When determining if 120/70 is a good blood pressure, we looked at the American Heart Association's blood pressure chart below.
Normal Blood Pressure
Systolic: Less than 120
Diastolic: Less than 80
Prehypertension Blood Pressure
Systolic: From 120 to 139
Diastolic: From 80 to 89
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1
Systolic: From 140 to 159
Diastolic: From 90 to 99
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2
Systolic: 160 or higher
Diastolic: 100 or higher
Hypertensive Crisis (Emergency care needed)
Systolic: Higher than 180
Diastolic: Higher than 110
For 120/70 to be good, both numbers must fit into the "normal" category above. Otherwise, it will fall into other categories of High Blood Pressure.
Systolic reading of 120 is in the Prehypertension range. Diastolic reading of 70 is in the Normal range.
Therefore, 120/70 is not good blood pressure (Prehypertension).
The illustration below gives a visual representation of the blood pressure 120/70 so you can better understand what it means and where it falls on the blood pressure chart.
When looking at the 120/70 BP illustration above, remember that both the Systolic pressure (blue pin) and the Diastolic pressure (purple pin) need to be in the "green zone" for 120/70 to be good and normal. As you can see, that is not the case here.
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Note: Your blood pressure reading may have been recorded wrong and our information above may not apply to you. The information on this page does not apply to young people or people with special conditions. This page is simply informational. We think you should see a doctor for ALL medical health questions and concerns.
Is 120/71 Good Blood Pressure or High Blood Pressure?
Here is the next Blood Pressure (BP) reading on our list that we have interpreted.
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