Basically, I’ve always been really healthy, went to the doctor, got my BP (104/68) and was told it’s really healthy.
Then I said (to my Mom, an RN) “would it be better to be 104/80 or 104/60” and she just looked at me like I was crazy, then told me 104/60. Then I said, “but would it be better to be 100/72 or 104/68?” And she was just done with me at that point and I just don’t understand what these numbers mean and the internet is too advanced for me.
In: Biology
The top number is the pressure when the heart squeezes. The bottom number is the pressure when the heart relaxes.
You do need some minimum amount of pressure for blood to flow around the body. Most people have this.
The more common problem is when blood pressure gets too high. It’s not because the heart squeezes harder – it’s because the vessels get clogged and become stiffer, and the heart has to work harder to squeeze against a stiffer vessel. This can happen due to poor diet, smoking, stress, etc. As vessels get clogged and stiffer , they are more likely to leak, rupture, or become too clogged to allow blood through them.
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