When a blood pressure reading is taken, it has two parts or numbers. An example of how a blood pressure reading is stated is one hundred thirty over eighty. The first and always higher number is called the systolic reading and the second or lower number is called the diastolic reading. The systolic reading represents blood pressure at its greatest when the heart contracts. The diastolic represents blood pressure at its lowest when the heart is quiet and filling with blood.
Blood pressure varies from person to person.
It goes up and down during the day, with the highest reading occurring during times of stress, pain or physical activity, and the lowest reading during sleep. A normal systolic blood pressure reading is below one hundred forty and a normal diastolic blood pressure reading is below ninety usually stated as one hundred forty over ninety. Most young people have a blood pressure reading of one hundred thirty over eighty or less. To get the most accurate blood pressure reading, you should take several readings until you get two or three similar readings in a ten minute period. Because the diastolic reading represents blood pressure when the heart is at rest, it is considered the most important indicator of a blood pressure problem.