What Your Numbers Mean – Understanding Blood Pressure Readings

It has become increasingly well known that very high or very low blood pressure is dangerous to your health, but many people are confused about the actual meanings of the blood pressure readings. They are always presented as a ratio, for example, 119/82, which is read as “one nineteen over eighty-two.” But what do these numbers actually measure, and what is a healthy range?

The Bookends of Blood Pressure

The top number (in this example, 119) is called the systolic reading, and the bottom number (in this example, 82) is called the diastolic reading. They act as the markers for the parameters of your blood pressure, both while at rest and while under pressure. The systolic reading measures the pressure of your blood while the heart is forcing blood through your arteries, which is why it’s always the higher number. The diastolic number measures the lower pressure of your blood while the heart is at rest, which is why it’s lower.

Because they measure the pressure under different conditions, they act like the bookends for your overall pressure. These numbers tell your cardiologist if there are any serious issues with how your heart is functioning.

The Perfect Balance

While some people have naturally low blood pressure and others tend to have higher numbers, there is a generally accepted range of what is considered normal. These are the blood pressure readings and their meanings as categorized by the American Heart Association (table below image for accessibility):

BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORYSYSTOLIC mm Hg (upper number)and/orDIASTOLIC mm Hg (lower number)
NORMALLess Than 120andLess than 80
ELEVATED120 – 129andless than 80
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION) STAGE 1130 – 139or80 – 89
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION) STAGE 2140 or Higheror90 or Higher
HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS (consult your doctor immediately)Higher than 180and/orHigher than 120
Table information from The American Heart Association

Your primary care physician may begin a treatment plan if your blood pressure is higher than it should be. This could involve anything from diet and lifestyle changes to medication. If you would like some smart tips on keeping your blood pressure under control, be sure to look over our previous post on tips to combat high blood pressure.

If you are concerned with your heart health or if your primary care physician recommends that you see a heart specialist, contact Dr. Dilip Mathew in the Sarasota / Tampa Bay area. Dr. Mathew specializes in ablation therapies for treating AFib, and is now also actively seeing patients from the Sun City Center area.

About Heart Rhythm Consultants, P.A.

The experienced electrophysiologists of Heart Rhythm Consultants, P.A. have been serving West Florida including Sarasota, Venice, Tampa, and Sun City Center for over 15 years. Our specialty cardiologists, or EP doctors, help patients manage their abnormal heart rhythm conditions, whether they suffer from arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation (AFib), or other irregular heartbeats. Dr. Dilip J. Mathew and Dr. Rajesh Malik perform arrhythmia treatments like cardiac ablation, cryoablation, and implanting pacemakers or defibrillators. Dr. Mathew has performed nearly 5,000 complex cardiac ablations. View our office locations in Sarasota and Venice, Florida.