The bottom line is that blood pressure measurements are the only way to know for sure and they should be included as part of a routine yearly medical checkup. If you have high blood pressure, your cholesterol level will also be high. Not true - these are separate conditions. Many people who have high blood pressure also have high cholseterol, but this is not necessarily the case. If you do have both high blood pressure and high cholesterol, however, your risk for developing cardiovascular disease or stroke is higher than if you only had one of these conditions.
People can usually tell by how they feel whether their blood pressure is up or down.
Taking blood pressure readings is the only sure way to know if blood pressure is up or down. Not true - It is every bit as important to recognize and treat high blood pressure that involves either the systolic or the diastolic blood pressure. Having said this, however, current research suggests that, in older individuals, treating the systolic blood pressure is especially important. There is also evidence to suggest that, in younger people, treating a high diastolic blood pressure is particularly important. High blood pressure is just a natural part of aging.