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List of Partners vendors. When people talk about "taking your blood pressure," it means they want to check two numbers that represent the force of the blood that your heart pumps through your body. These two numbers are called the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure. They are measured by using a cuff with an attached gauge so that the numbers can be read by a machine, or by a person hearing the pressure rise and fall through a stethoscope.
Both numbers are important but not always for the same reasons. This article looks at how blood pressure is taken, what levels are normal, and what some of the results can mean. When the heart beats, blood pulses through the arteries to travel throughout the body. It is not the steady stream you might see from a garden hose or water faucet. The pulse of the the blood flow and the pressure it exerts change from moment to moment. It's highest during the heartbeat this is the systolic pressure and lowest between beats diastolic.
A blood pressure reading includes both these measurements. Doctors measure blood pressure in these numbers so that there is a standard way of describing the force of the pulsing blood. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are important. If the readings are too high, it may mean a person has high blood pressure. If the readings are too low, there may not be enough blood flowing to the brain and other critical organs.
If there are changes in the difference between the two numbers, it's a clue that there may be a heart condition or other problem. During a heartbeat, the heart is pushing blood out into the arteries. Doctors call this "systole," and that's why it's called the systolic blood pressure. It's the pressure during a heartbeat and the highest pressure measured.
When the reading is mmHg or a little below while a person is sitting quietly at rest, the systolic blood pressure is considered normal. The heart muscle pushes out blood with higher pressure when a person is exercising , under stress, or at similar times when the heart rate is increased. The systolic pressure goes up with it.
In these cases, the increased pressure is normal. However, when the pressure is high while a person is resting, that's considered high blood pressure. That's why it is so important to take your blood pressure during periods of quiet rest to diagnose hypertension , or high blood pressure.
High systolic blood pressure is usually caused by narrowing of the arteries, which makes the heart have to work harder to push blood through. If the systolic blood pressure is lower than normal, it's called hypotension. If this low blood pressure is serious enough, it can cause lightheadedness , dizziness , or fainting.
If it lasts long enough and it isn't treated, it may cause organs like your kidneys to start shutting down. Systolic hypotension can occur if the amount of blood in your body becomes too low. This can happen if you are severely dehydrated or you have major bleeding; there just isn't enough blood to push through the body. It also may happen if the heart muscle is too weak to push blood normally, as in cases of cardiomyopathy damaged heart muscle or if the arteries suddenly widen too much, as in vasovagal syncope a reflex that causes fainting.
Sometimes this low blood pressure happens when you change positions suddenly. You may feel dizzy when you stand up because gravity is pulling blood down toward your feet. This is a common condition called orthostatic hypotension. With Sheldon G. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.
Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Basile J, et al. Overview of hypertension in adults. Accessed March 15, Bavishi C, et al. The American Journal of Medicine. Bakris GL, et al.
Isolated systolic hypertension. Elsevier Saunders; Accessed March 18, Egan BM. Treatment of hypertension in older adults, particularly isolated systolic hypertension.
McEniery CM, et al. Isolated systolic hypertension in young people is not spurious and should be treated. Whelton PK, et al. See also Medication-free hypertension control 6 surprising signs you may have obstructive sleep apnea After a flood, are food and medicines safe to use? Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
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