It is also the culprit that increases the risk of heart or kidney disease or a stroke.
Blood is carried from the heart to the body's tissue and organs through the arteries.
To determine the pressure of the blood flow, a person's pressure is given in two different numbers that appear like a fraction. The systolic pressure or top number is the force in which the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries when the heart contracts and is pumping blood. When the heart is at rest, in between beats, blood pressure falls and this determines the diastolic pressure or bottom number. According to the American Heart Association, normal blood pressure measurement is less than 130 systolic and less than 85 diastolic. An optimal measurement is less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic.