What are the early warning signs of high blood pressure?

Short answer: Most people have no early symptoms — high blood pressure is often a “silent” condition. When symptoms do occur they usually mean the pressure is very high or organ damage has started.

What you might notice (but these are nonspecific)
- Headaches (often at the back of the head, worse in the morning)
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Nosebleeds
- Blurred or double vision
- Shortness of breath or chest discomfort
- Palpitations or a feeling of a fast heartbeat
- Fatigue, confusion, or difficulty concentrating

Important points
- These symptoms are not reliable for detecting early or moderate hypertension. Many people have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms.
- Symptoms are more likely with severely elevated BP (hypertensive crisis) or when high BP has damaged organs (heart, brain, kidneys, eyes).

When to seek urgent care
- Extremely high readings (systolic >180 or diastolic >120) or any of these symptoms: very severe headache, sudden vision changes, chest pain, shortness of breath, sudden weakness/numbness or slurred speech — seek emergency care.

What to do
- Have your blood pressure checked regularly (at the doctor’s office or with a validated home monitor).
- If you get a high reading, repeat it after 5 minutes of rest and take several readings at different times/days.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about lifestyle steps (reduce salt, weight loss, exercise, limit alcohol, stop smoking, follow DASH-style diet) and whether medication is needed.

If you’d like, tell me your recent BP readings or risk factors and I can help interpret them and suggest next steps.