What do the numbers for your blood pressure REALLY mean?!
Question: Mine was 134 over 77. I know that 120 over 80 is the ideal. What's the difference mean?
Answers:
If your blood pressure is over 140/90, then you have high blood pressure or hypertension . provided that the BP measurement was taken correctly, and you were well rested when the measurements were taken. Hypertension if uncorrected, damages your heart, kidneys, and increases the risk of stroke. All these occurs while you're feeling ok . that's why it's often coined as the "silent killer".
You are pre-hypertensive. Not normal. This subgroup is there to emphasize the importance of prevention. That means more exercise, watch the salt in your diet, quitting or cutting down on alcohol, smoking, etc. Lifestyle changes mostly. The good news is that you don't need to take any medications.
Hope that helps.
Other Answers:
the top number is the amount of times your heart contracts in a minute and the bottom is the amount that it relaxes in a minute. the top number is called the systolic and the bottom is called dystolic.
Source(s):
health and social care lessons
they listen to your heart ( heart sound, lub dub is the inlet and outlet valves closing) down stream of the pressure cuff. The large number is pressure above which the flow stops ( they hear ur heart thumping below this pressure value but not above) and the bottom number is when the heart starts pushing, the inlet valve closes as the heart starts pushing blood . The pressure referenced is read on the pressure Gage on the pressure cuff. So ur blood pressure stays between the two ( low-high) values. High values means your heart is working too hard cause of lack of oxygen, restriction to blood flow or something else is screwed up. Don't quote me on this.
Source(s):
when my X gf was in nursing school.
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