Can You Die From High Blood Pressure?
Key takeaways:
Untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and even death.
You may have life-threatening complications if your blood pressure is higher than 180/120 mmHg.
Staying active, limiting your salt intake, and taking all medications as prescribed can help you lower your blood pressure.
High blood pressure is referred to as “the silent killer” because there often aren’t any symptoms and, if left untreated, it can lead to death. Having high blood pressure can also increase your risk of other serious conditions like heart disease and stroke.
Let’s take a closer look at how chronic high blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to death. And the steps you can take to lower your risk, manage the condition, and live a healthy life.
What is blood pressure?
Your blood pressure is a measurement of the force required for your heart to pump blood through your blood vessels to the rest of your body. Blood vessels are naturally stretchy so they can make room for the blood that gets pumped through them.
When your doctor measures your blood pressure, you hear two numbers. The top number is your systolic blood pressure. It tells you how much pressure is in your blood vessels when your heart contracts (pumps). The bottom number is your diastolic blood pressure. It gives you an idea of how much pressure is in your blood vessels between your heart’s contractions (when your heart is resting). Both of these numbers are important.
If your heart is pumping a certain amount of blood and your vessels are stretchy enough, your blood pressure should fall within a normal range. A normal blood pressure is a systolic pressure of less than 120 over a diastolic pressure of less than 80. This is commonly written as 120/80mm Hg. But if your heart starts to work overtime (pumping too much blood) or if your blood vessels become too stiff, your blood pressure will rise.
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is when your blood pressure rises above a systolic pressure of 130 over a diastolic pressure of 80. There are stages to high blood pressure based on how high the readings are.
Here are the American Heart Association’s guidelines for blood pressure:
Blood pressure category | Systolic pressure (mmHg) | Diastolic pressure (mmHg) | |
Normal | Less than 120 | and | Less than 80 |
Elevated | 120-129 | and | Less than 80 |
Stage 1 high blood pressure | 130-139 | or | 80-89 |
Stage 2 high blood pressure | 140 or higher | or | 90 or higher |
Hypertensive crisis (urgent or emergent) | Higher than 180 | and/or | Higher than 120 |
Stage 1 high blood pressure may respond to lifestyle changes and doesn’t always require medication to treat. This may include changes in your diet or activity level.
For stage 2 high blood pressure, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication for your blood pressure and lifestyle changes.
Hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency that should always prompt you to seek medical care right away.
Can you die from high blood pressure?
Yes. Death from high blood pressure can occur both directly and indirectly. Most often, people die from the indirect complications of high blood pressure, such as heart attack and stroke.
But a hypertensive crisis can lead directly to death. That’s because your blood pressure is dangerously high. Urgent hypertensive crisis requires immediate medical care but doesn’t involve any organ damage. Once you begin to have organ damage, it becomes an emergent hypertensive crisis. And this can be life threatening.
Signs you may have an emergent hypertensive crisis include symptoms like:
Vision changes
Chest pain
Severe headache
Confusion
Shortness of breath
There’s no way to predict how quickly you can go from a hypertensive urgency to death. The risk will vary from person to person. That’s why it’s important to go to the emergency room if you ever find that your blood pressure is greater than 180/120 mmHg.
Can you die from high blood pressure in your sleep?
The short answer is yes. The risk of death from a hypertensive crisis exists whether you’re awake or asleep. So it’s possible to have fatal effects from high blood pressure while you’re sleeping.
There can also be a change of consciousness during a hypertensive emergency. This is due to brain damage from the dangerously high blood pressure. This can make you feel less alert and very sleepy. And if left untreated, this can lead to death.
Your blood pressure should naturally fall when you go to sleep. But, there’s also a form of high blood pressure that seems to strike at night. Nocturnal hypertension is when you have higher than normal blood pressure while you’re sleeping. It’s linked to a higher risk of death from heart disease and stroke overall, not just while you’re asleep.
What are the short-term effects of high blood pressure?
It’s common to have a temporary rise in your blood pressure from time to time. And it’s not typically harmful. For example, this can happen in moments of excitement or stress, or after drinking caffeine. And most of the time, we don’t even notice when our blood pressure goes up a bit.
Short bursts of high blood pressure are generally harmless, but it can add up. In fact, if many of these temporary bursts happen over time, it could lead to chronic high blood pressure or hypertension.
What are the long-term effects of high blood pressure?
If you have chronic high blood pressure, you’re at higher risk for serious complications. These include conditions like:
Heart attacks
Heart failure
Blood clots
Blindness
Sexual dysfunction (like erectile dysfunction, low libido)
Poor circulation
To avoid these problems, your healthcare provider may suggest dietary changes and more exercise. In some cases, they may prescribe medications to help keep your blood pressure at a moderate level.
It’s common not to feel any effects of high blood pressure. This may lead some people to think that they don’t need to take any medications to lower it. But it’s very important to take your high blood pressure medications as prescribed to prevent these long-term effects.
Take our quiz
Are you at high risk for high blood pressure?
Can you lower or prevent high blood pressure?
Yes, it’s possible to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of developing hypertension.
If you don’t have high blood pressure, there are a few ways to help maintain your normal range.
Get physical activity. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week.
Maintain healthy eating and drinking habits. Try to minimize sodium (salt) and caffeine intake. If you need help following a low-sodium, blood pressure-friendly diet, try out the DASH diet.
Maintain a moderate weight range. If you have a higher body weight that’s affecting your blood pressure, losing as little as 10 pounds can help to lower it.
Limit alcohol intake. Having more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 drinks per day for men can raise your blood pressure.
Get your blood pressure checked at least once a year. Keep your regular clinic appointments, so you can keep track of how your blood pressure is doing.
If you already have high blood pressure, you can manage it by:
Exercising regularly
Following a low-sodium diet plan, like the DASH diet
Checking your blood pressure at home to keep track of it
Taking any medications you’ve been prescribed
The bottom line
It’s possible to die from high blood pressure or its complications when it’s not properly treated. Untreated high blood pressure also makes dying from heart disease and stroke more likely.
If you have high blood pressure or you're looking for ways to prevent it, you can take steps to lower your risk. Eating a low-sodium diet, exercising more, and taking your medications can help keep your blood pressure in the normal range.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Heart Association. (2022). Health threats from high blood pressure.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Measure your blood pressure.
Kario, K. (2018). Nocturnal hypertension: New technology and evidence. Hypertension.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2019). Tips to reduce salt and sodium.
