If you have a reading of 140/90, or more, you have high blood pressure (hypertension).
The highs and lowsĪs a general guide, the ideal blood pressure for a young, healthy adult is between 90/60 and 120/80. If your systolic blood pressure is 120 mmHg, and your diastolic blood pressure is 80 mmHg, your blood pressure is 120 over 80, which is commonly written as 120/80. Your blood pressure reading will be given as two numbers, with your systolic reading first, followed by your diastolic reading.
At this stage, the pressure in your arteries is at its lowest diastolic pressure - is the pressure when your heart rests in between beats and the blood flows back to your heart through your veins.At this stage, the pressure in your arteries is at its highest. systolic pressure - is the pressure when your heart beats and squeezes blood into your arteries.The two measurements are known as the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. When your blood pressure is measured, two measurements are recorded during a single heartbeat. It is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).
Blood pressureīlood pressure is a measure of the force of the blood on the walls of the arteries as the blood flows through them. When your heart rests in between beats, the blood flows back to your heart through a network of veins and capillaries. When your heart beats, it pushes the blood around your body through blood vessels called arteries and capillaries. The heart is a muscle that is designed to pump a constant supply of blood around the body. Blood pressure is a measure of the force that your heart uses to pump blood around your body. Low blood pressure - sometimes referred to as hypotension - is a condition where the arterial blood pressure is abnormally low.