The term " blood pressure" describes the pressure or the force of the blood inside your arteries. Arteries are the tubes that carry blood away from your heart into the organs and tissues of the rest of your body.

Blood pressure readings can be divided into those that indicate normal, low or high levels. Pages on this website will show you what the difference is between these groups and will give you the information you need to work towards treatment by lowering a high BP reading.

You can discover the difference between a high systolic blood pressure reading and a high diastolic blood pressure reading and you'll find out the best way to take these measurements.

What about a blood pressure monitor?

Many people with hypertension are keen to lower their high level and need to know their BP readings on a regular basis. This helps them and their doctor plan the most effective treatment.

They may choose to buy a blood pressure monitor. This website provides a guide to the commonly available pressure monitor devices and explains how best to use them to create your own BP readings chart on a day by day basis. Don't leave it all to your doctor - you can monitor the progress of your own treatment.

The target blood pressure reading

The target BP reading for most people is now well defined by research.

Two numbers are always used to describe your BP reading. The first number refers to the Systolic Blood Pressure and the second number relates to the Diastolic Blood Pressure. A typical reading might be written in your doctors notes as BP = 145 / 75 mmHg. This means that the systolic reading is 145 millimetres of mercury and the diastolic reading is 75 millimetres of mercury. When speaking about these numbers your doctor might say “one hundred and forty five over seventy five” – using the word “over” in place of the slash between the numbers

Your target BP readings should be below 140/85 if you do not have diabetes and below 130/80 if you do. The high number in the above examples is called the systolic reading and the lower number is called the diastolic reading. It's the combination of these two numbers that decides the need for treatment in any given case.

The machine used to obtain a BP reading is called a sphygmomanometer. In years gone by these machines were filled with a column of liquid mercury – a bit like the sort of thermometer that your grandmother might have used to check your temperature. Because of this historical measuring method, BP reading measurements are still given today in millimetres of mercury or mmHg for short (Hg is the chemical symbol for mercury).

Systolic Blood Pressure Reading
The systolic pressure reading measures the force that the heart uses when it contracts and pushes the blood round the arteries of the body. The systolic level is the higher of the two numbers recorded.

Diastolic Blood Pressure Reading
The diastolic pressure reading measures the force that is needed to fill up the heart as it relaxes and gets ready for its next contraction. The diastolic level is the lower of the two numbers recorded.

Pulse Pressure
The pulse pressure reading is calculated by subtracting the diastolic reading from the systolic reading. So with a BP reading of 145 / 70 then the pulse pressure would be equal to 145 minus 70 or 75.

Dr Cameron Writes

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