what does it mean if systolic pressure is high?
Systolic blood pressure measures the pressure put on the arteries when the heart beats and pushes blood through the arteries to the rest of the body, according to WebMD. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury. In most cases, a systolic blood pressure reading of 120 millimeters of mercury or less is considered normal, 120 to 139 is prehypertensive and 140 or higher is considered to be hypertensive.