Blood pressure is usually measured with an inflatable pressure cuff that wraps around your upper arm. It is best to measure blood pressure when you are relaxed and sitting. Both are measured in units called millimetres of mercury (mmHg). This is called the diastolic blood pressure. The lower number is the pressure as the heart relaxes before the next beat. This is called the systolic blood pressure.
The larger number is the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps out blood during each beat. What blood pressure numbers meanīlood pressure is recorded as two numbers, such as 120/80. The medical name for low blood pressure is hypotension. The medical name for high blood pressure is hypertension.
If blood pressure remains high over a long period of time, it can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or kidney disease. It is affected by various factors, including body position, breathing, emotional state, exercise and sleep. It changes to meet your body’s needs and it is normal for your blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. Blood pressure does not stay the same all the time. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood on the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood around your body.
