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 referred to as the systolic blood pressure, and the number is a measure of the pressure of blood against the walls of your arteries as your ventricles (lower two chambers of the heart) push blood throughout the body.
The bottom number is referred to as the diastolic blood pressure, and the number is a measure of the pressure of blood against the walls of your arteries as your heart relaxes and the ventricles fill with blood. This is also the period where the heart relaxes in between heart beats.
Generally speaking, a systolic pressure higher than 120 is a problem, whereas a diastolic pressure higher than 80 is a problem. So there isn’t really an issue if you are below those values except if they get too low (such as 90/60 or below).
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