What Does The Top Number Of Blood Pressure Mean

The causes of low blood pressure can range from dehydration to serious medical disorders.

What does the top number of blood pressure mean. The american heart association helps you understand the various levels of blood pressure and how high blood pressure or hypertension is defined. The top number or systolic reflects how hard your heart is working to pump blood into your arteries. 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. Stage 2 high blood pressure indicates an even more serious condition.

Systolic top number diastolic bottom number blood pressure category. Isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of high blood pressure in people older than age 65. Isolated systolic hypertension happens when your diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 millimeters of mercury mm hg and your systolic blood pressure is 130 mm hg or higher. For example if your blood pressure reading is 125 85 millimeters of mercury mm hg you have stage 1 hypertension.

In a blood pressure reading the systolic number always comes first and then the diastolic number. Here s a look at the four blood pressure categories and what they mean for you. For example your numbers may be 120 over 80 or written as 120 80. Younger people can have this type of high blood pressure too.

Between 120 and 129. Use our blood pressure chart to learn what your blood pressure numbers mean. This is called isolated systolic hypertension and you treat it the same way you. If your systolic and diastolic readings fall into two different categories your correct blood pressure category is the higher category.

The bottom number or diastolic indicates the pressure as your heart relaxes between beats. Blood pressure measurements are given as a top and bottom number. Also learn about prehypertension hypertension hypertensive crisis and what is a healthy blood pressure.