Whenever your doctor checks your blood pressure, he would report two values. These values known as the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure make up your current blood pressure reading. Although it is common for doctors to report your blood pressure readings, many people don't understand what these values mean. If you're planning on buying a home monitoring device so you can track your blood pressure levels without the need to go to the doctor, you need to know what the systolic and diastolic blood pressure means.

The systolic pressure and diastolic pressure measures different things. The systolic pressure is the force placed on the arteries when the heart beats. This is when the pressure is at its highest. On the other hand, the diastolic pressure is the force placed on the arteries between heartbeats. The diastolic value is when the pressure is at its lowest.

Blood pressure measurements are in millimeters of mercury, or simply abbreviated as mmHg. In adults, a blood pressure of 120/80 is considered healthy. When the blood pressure readings go beyond this value, you have high blood pressure. While doctors may recommend seeking treatment whenever you have high blood pressure, some cases may not require treatment, particularly when your blood pressure increased due to excitement, anxiousness, nervousness, exercising and other activities that may affect your heart rate. On the other hand, if high blood pressure is left untreated, it may lead to various health problems, such as stroke, kidney failure and heart attack.

Both the systolic and diastolic pressure are important. You need to monitor both of these values. Younger people should check on their systolic blood pressure as it may indicate health problems, while older people should check their diastolic blood pressure because doctors use this value to indicate overall health. Checking your blood pressure levels should be done at least once in two years for adults and yearly in children. However, people who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure before may be required to have their blood pressure monitored more closely to keep their blood pressure in check.

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