What Does Blood Pressure Number Mean

Blood pressure is reported using two numbers and many people don t completely understand what these numbers mean.

What does blood pressure number mean. If your blood pressure reading shows a top number of 140 or more or a bottom number of 90 or more it s considered stage 2. The diastolic reading or the bottom number is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. This is the time when the heart fills with blood and gets oxygen. The standard unit of measurement for the blood pressure numbers is millimeters of mercury abbreviated as mmhg.

This is the time when the heart. If your systolic and diastolic readings fall into two different categories your correct blood pressure category is the higher category. Here s a look at the four blood pressure categories and what they mean for you. The diastolic reading or the bottom number is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.

Blood pressure measurements are given as a top and bottom number. Stage 2 high blood pressure indicates an even more serious condition. The higher number that comes first is called systolic pressure. For example if your blood pressure reading is 125 85 millimeters of mercury mm hg you have stage 1 hypertension.

The first reflects systolic blood pressure the amount of pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts. Blood pressure measures the force of blood pushing on arterial walls. It s measured using two numbers. This measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats and is pumping blood.