What is a dangerously high blood pressure?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
A reading of 180/120 or higher is the level doctors treat as a possible emergency, especially with chest pain, a severe headache, trouble breathing, vision changes or weakness. That combination needs urgent care now, not a repeat reading tomorrow.
If you see 180/120 but feel completely fine, sit quietly for five minutes and measure again. If it stays that high, contact a doctor the same day.
Numbers between 140/90 and 180/120 are high but rarely an emergency. They deserve a proper conversation with your doctor and a week of home readings, which tell the real story better than any single measurement.
Go deeper, free
If you are buying a monitor
Get an upper-arm cuff, not a wrist one, from a validated brand like Omron. Expect $30 to $60. Check the cuff size fits your arm; a too-small cuff reads high.
See validated upper-arm monitorsAs an Amazon Associate, AskDoc earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.
Is this your situation right now?
General answers only go so far. A doctor can look at your numbers and history and give you a written answer about you.
People also ask
Health education, not personal medical advice. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service now.