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. When the diastolic blood pressure reading is persistently at ninety to ninety nine, mild high blood pressure is diagnosed. Moderate high blood pressure is diagnosed in a patient who has a persistent diastolic reading of one hundred to one hundred and nine, and severe high blood pressure is diagnosed at a diastolic reading of one hundred ten to one hundred nineteen diastolic readings over one hundred nineteen are diagnosed as very severe and should be treated immediately. Diagnosing and treating high blood pressure is very important because it can have very serious effects on the heart, brain and kidneys.