A blood pressure of 118/64 mmHg is a good reading. It falls squarely in the “normal” category under the 2025 guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, which define normal blood pressure as below 120/80 mmHg. Your systolic number (118) sits just under that 120 threshold, and your diastolic number (64) is well within the healthy range.
What the Numbers Mean
Blood pressure is expressed as two numbers. The top number (systolic) measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The bottom number (diastolic) measures the pressure between beats, when your heart is resting. Both matter, and both need to fall below their respective thresholds to qualify as normal.
At 118/64, your systolic pressure is close to the upper edge of normal but hasn’t crossed into the “elevated” range, which starts at 120. Your diastolic pressure of 64 is comfortably above the low blood pressure threshold of 60 mmHg (hypotension is generally defined as below 90/60). In short, neither number raises a red flag.
Where 118/64 Fits in the Full Chart
The AHA and ACC break blood pressure into four categories:
- Normal: below 120/80 mmHg
- Elevated: 120 to 129 systolic with diastolic still below 80
- 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 reading lands in the best category. The updated 2025 guidelines, the first major revision since 2017, reaffirm a treatment goal of below 130/80 for most adults and actually encourage achieving below 120/80 when possible. At 118/64, you’re already there.
Is 64 Too Low for the Bottom Number?
A diastolic reading of 64 sometimes worries people because it’s lower than the “textbook” 80. But 64 is perfectly healthy. Low blood pressure only becomes a medical concern below 90/60, and even then, it’s the symptoms that matter most: dizziness, fainting, blurred vision, or fatigue. If you feel fine at 118/64, there’s nothing to address.
Diastolic pressure does tend to change with age. It often rises through middle age, then gradually declines after about 60. A diastolic reading in the low-to-mid 60s is common in older adults and in younger people who are physically active. Context matters more than the number in isolation.
Pulse Pressure: The Gap Between the Two Numbers
The difference between your systolic and diastolic readings is called pulse pressure. At 118/64, your pulse pressure is 54 mmHg. A healthy pulse pressure is around 40, and readings above 60 are considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, particularly in older adults, because they can signal stiffening of the arteries.
At 54, your pulse pressure is slightly above that 40 benchmark but well below the 60 threshold that raises concern. For most people, a pulse pressure in this range is not clinically significant, especially when both the systolic and diastolic numbers are normal on their own. If your pulse pressure were consistently climbing over time, that would be worth mentioning at a checkup.
Keeping a Good Reading Where It Is
The official recommendation for people with normal blood pressure is straightforward: maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle. That means regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise), limiting sodium to around 1,500 mg per day, eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, keeping alcohol intake moderate, managing stress, and maintaining a healthy weight. These aren’t just strategies for lowering high blood pressure. They’re what keeps normal blood pressure from drifting upward over the years.
Blood pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the day. It rises during physical activity and stress, and drops during sleep. A single reading is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. If you’re tracking your numbers at home, the pattern across multiple readings over days or weeks tells a more reliable story than any individual measurement. Taking readings at the same time each day, after sitting quietly for five minutes, gives you the most consistent data.
At 118/64, your cardiovascular system is doing exactly what it should. The goal now is simply to keep it there.