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What is hypertension? 

The blood pressure, the measurement of the force applied to the walls of the arteries, is expressed in two readings, for example, 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The first number is the systolic pressure, maximum force created when the heart pumps blood to the body. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, the pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed and full of blood. Normal systolic blood pressure is 90-119 mm Hg and 60-79 mm Hg for diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is considered pre-hypertension when the highest number is 120 to 139 or the bottom number reads 80 to 89.