Everyone would like to have healthy blood pressure. But what exactly does that mean?
When your doctor takes your blood pressure, it’s a measurement with two numbers, with one number on top (systolic) and one on the bottom (diastolic), like a fraction. For example, 120/80 mm Hg.
The top number refers to the amount of pressure in your arteries during the contraction of your heart muscle. This is called systolic pressure.
The bottom number refers to your blood pressure when your heart muscle is between beats. This is called diastolic pressure.
Both numbers are important in determining the state of your heart health.
Numbers greater than this indicate that your heart is working too hard to pump blood to the rest of your body. Let's have a look on this image wich explains it better than 1000 words:
