What does bottom number of blood pressure mean?

What does bottom number of blood pressure mean?

The top number of your blood pressure reading tells you the force of the blood against artery walls when your heart beats. It is called systolic pressure. The bottom number tells you what your blood pressure is when your heart is at rest between heartbeats. It is called diastolic pressure.

Is the higher or lower number more important in blood pressure?

Over the years, research has found that both numbers are equally important in monitoring heart health. However, most studies show a greater risk of stroke and heart disease related to higher systolic pressures compared with elevated diastolic pressures.

What number is most important in blood pressure?

The number above (120) is called the systolic blood pressure and the number below (80) is called the diastolic blood pressure….Table 2. DASH diet composition.

When is the bottom number of blood pressure too high?

This is the bottom number. In general, we don’t like the bottom number to be much above 85. If this number is too high, then the top number is usually high too. If only the bottom number is high, you may need a very low dose of a blood pressure medication. We call this isolated diastolic hypertension.

What’s the difference between high and low blood pressure?

So if your top number is over 140 or the bottom number is over 90, you may be diagnosed with high blood pressure, regardless of the other number. If your top number is under 90 or your bottom number is under 60, you may be diagnosed with low blood pressure.

When to know if you have low blood pressure?

If your top number is under 90 or your bottom number is under 60, you may be diagnosed with low blood pressure. Use the chart to see where your numbers sit. If your top number (systolic pressure) is consistently higher than 140mmHg, but the bottom number is healthy – this is known as Isolated Systolic Hypertension.

What does a blood pressure reading look like?

What does a blood pressure reading look like? 1 Systolic blood pressure. This is the first, or top, number. This is the highest level your blood pressure reaches when… 2 Diastolic blood pressure. The second number, or bottom number, is the lowest level your blood pressure reaches as your… More …

This is the bottom number. In general, we don’t like the bottom number to be much above 85. If this number is too high, then the top number is usually high too. If only the bottom number is high, you may need a very low dose of a blood pressure medication. We call this isolated diastolic hypertension.

Which is better, high or low blood pressure?

The risk of those events rose among people with systolic readings of 130 and higher, but also in those with diastolic readings of 80 and higher. The findings are a reminder to pay attention to both numbers in your blood pressure reading, and that for most otherwise healthy people, lower blood pressure is better.

Which is the second number in a blood pressure reading?

Systolic pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) measures the force with which the heart pumps blood into the arteries. Diastolic pressure (the second, lower number) reflects the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.

What should my blood pressure be when I go to the Doctor?

A typical value for blood pressure is 120/80. Doctors consider blood pressure to be elevated when it’s between 130 and 139 systolic (the top number) over 80 to 89 diastolic (the bottom number).