A blood pressure of 110/78 is a good reading. It falls squarely in the “normal” category under the 2025 American Heart Association guidelines, which define normal blood pressure as below 120/80 mmHg. Both your numbers sit comfortably within that range, with room to spare on the systolic (top) side and just 2 points below the upper limit on the diastolic (bottom) side.
What 110/78 Actually Means
The top number, 110, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and pushes blood out. The bottom number, 78, measures the pressure between beats, when your heart is resting. Together, they paint a picture of how hard your cardiovascular system is working to move blood through your body.
At 110/78, your heart isn’t straining to pump blood, and your arteries aren’t under excessive force. This is the kind of reading that’s associated with lower long-term risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. One large study found that people who maintained blood pressure below 120/80 had a 25% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death compared to those whose blood pressure stayed under the older, more lenient target of 140/90. They also had 27% fewer deaths from any cause over three years.
Where It Sits on the Scale
The current guidelines break blood pressure into four categories:
- Normal: below 120 systolic and below 80 diastolic
- Elevated: 120 to 129 systolic and below 80 diastolic
- Stage 1 hypertension: 130 to 139 systolic or 80 to 89 diastolic
- Stage 2 hypertension: 140 or higher systolic, or 90 or higher diastolic
Your diastolic reading of 78 is close to the 80 threshold where Stage 1 hypertension begins. That doesn’t mean you’re borderline. It just means your diastolic number is worth paying attention to over time. If it creeps above 80 on repeated readings, the classification changes even if your systolic number stays at 110. These categories apply to all adults regardless of age, as the current guidelines no longer set different thresholds for younger and older people.
Is It Too Low?
No. Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is generally defined as a reading below 90/60. At 110/78, you’re well above that threshold. Hypotension typically causes noticeable symptoms like dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, blurred vision, or unusual fatigue. If you’re not experiencing any of those, your reading is simply healthy, not too low.
Why a Single Reading Isn’t the Full Picture
Blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day. Stress, caffeine, a poor night’s sleep, even the anxiety of sitting in a doctor’s office (sometimes called white-coat hypertension) can temporarily push your numbers up. Night-shift work, smoking, and carrying extra weight can also shift your typical pattern. A single reading of 110/78 is reassuring, but the number that matters most is your average over multiple readings taken on different days. If you’re checking at home, measuring at the same time each day while seated and relaxed gives you the most consistent picture.
How to Keep Your Numbers Here
If your blood pressure is already in a healthy range, the goal is to keep it there as you age. The same habits that lower high blood pressure also prevent it from rising in the first place.
Regular aerobic exercise, even 30 minutes a day of walking, cycling, or swimming, can lower blood pressure by 5 to 8 points in people with high readings and helps maintain healthy levels in everyone else. Adding strength training at least two days a week provides additional benefit. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy while limiting saturated fat can reduce blood pressure by up to 11 points. Getting enough potassium, around 3,500 to 5,000 milligrams a day from foods like bananas, potatoes, and leafy greens, can lower it by another 4 to 5 points.
Sodium matters too. Keeping intake below 2,300 milligrams a day is a reasonable goal, though 1,500 milligrams is ideal for most adults and can bring blood pressure down by 5 to 6 points. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most effective levers: blood pressure tends to drop by about 1 point for every kilogram (roughly 2.2 pounds) lost. For reference, men with a waist measurement over 40 inches and women over 35 inches face higher cardiovascular risk. Limiting alcohol, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep, and managing stress round out the fundamentals.
These aren’t emergency interventions for someone at 110/78. They’re the habits that keep a good number from becoming a concerning one five or ten years from now.