I have been on High Blood Pressure medication once per day for approximately 10 years and my blood pressure readings are in the 140/80 range with some spiking. I read that the ideal reading is 120/80 or lower on the American Heart Association website. I asked my doctor and the reply was that with my last reading of 142/78 in the office that was good for me, as it has often times been much higher. I asked the reason why the AHA wants a lower reading. I was told that it is because the prevailing thought is with over 30 years of a higher reading this will lead to Congestive Heart failure, however, if I wanted we could maybe try adding a second medication and see where that goes. I tried searching this site to find some thoughts on the ideal blood pressure for women, but only found information for men and children.