what does the top and bottom numbers of your blood pressure mean?
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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.
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Here is how to make sense of your numbers: Normal blood pressure: According to the American Heart Association, blood pressure is in the normal range if it's below 120/80 mm Hg. Prehypertension: Between 120/80 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg. Stage 1 high blood pressure: Between 140/90 mm Hg and 159/99 mm Hg.
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Systolic blood pressure, the top number, measures the force your heart exerts on the walls of your arteries each time it beats. Diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number, measures the force your heart exerts on the walls of your arteries in between beats.
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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. A normal diastolic blood pressure is lower than 80. A reading of 90 or higher means you have high blood pressure.
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Extremely high blood pressure — a top number (systolic pressure) of 180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher or a bottom number (diastolic pressure) of 120 mm Hg or higher — can damage blood vessels. The blood vessels become inflamed and may leak fluid or blood.
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Your blood pressure is normal if it's below 120/80 mm Hg. Elevated blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure is a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 129 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure below 80 mm Hg. Elevated blood pressure tends to get worse over time unless steps are taken to control blood pressure.
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For a normal reading, your blood pressure needs to show a top number (systolic pressure) that's between 90 and less than 120 and a bottom number (diastolic pressure) that's between 60 and less than 80.
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What does my blood pressure reading mean? Normal blood pressure is 120/80 or lower. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
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People with readings of 130/80 or higher on at least two occasions are said to have high blood pressure. If yours is 180/120 or higher, get medical attention right away. Your doctor could also tell you that you have something called prehypertension. That's when your BP is just a bit higher than 120/less than 80.
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Stage 1 high blood pressure (a diagnosis of hypertension) is now between 130 and 139 systolic or between 80 and 89 diastolic (the bottom number). Stage 2 high blood pressure is now over 140 systolic or 90 diastolic.
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['Healthy:A healthy blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).', 'Elevated:The systolic number is between 120 and 129 mm Hg, and the diastolic number is less than 80 mm Hg.']
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Blood pressure is recorded with 2 numbers. The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body. The diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels. They're both measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).
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What is high blood pressure? You probably have high blood pressure (hypertension) if your blood pressure readings are consistently 140 over 90, or higher, over a number of weeks.
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Extremely high blood pressure — a top number (systolic pressure) of 180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher or a bottom number (diastolic pressure) of 120 mm Hg or higher — can damage blood vessels.
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When your doctor takes your blood pressure, it's expressed as 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.
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There are two types of blood pressure: Systolic blood pressure refers to the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is pumping; diastolic pressure is the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is resting between beats.
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Blood pressure usually ranges between 90 to 250 for the top or maximum number (systolic) and 60 to 140 for the bottom or minimum number (diastolic). A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 or less, but the lower you can get it, the better.