Blood pressure is measured in two ways: orally, with a Mercury sphygmomanometer, and rectally, using an electronic platform. If you have been diagnosed as having hypertension in adult or high blood pressure (HBP), it means that your top reading when taken orally was generally greater than 130/80 mm Hg; however, if the bottom number had readings between 120-130 and less than 80, then this would also qualify as being considered “elevated.”