To learn more about blood pressure numbers, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s High Blood Pressure site. The bottom number, diastolic blood pressure, reflects the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart relaxes between heartbeats. Normal resting blood pressure, in an adult is approximately 120 millimetres of mercury (16 kPa) systolic over 80 millimetres of mercury (11 kPa) diastolic, denoted as '120/80 mmHg'. The top number, systolic blood pressure, reflects the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart squeezes to pump blood. Other Languages: Español | 繁體中文 | Русский | Français | বাংলা Understanding Your Blood Pressure Numbersīlood pressure is reported with two numbers, one written over the other.

You can get it checked by asking your health care provider, visiting a pharmacy or blood pressure kiosk or checking it yourself using a home monitor.įollow these tips to make sure you get the right blood pressure measurement every time (PDF). Structural racism, which can affect the social, economic, and environmental conditions that influence health, likely contributes to this disproportionate burden of disease.Įveryone should know their blood pressure. Black and Latino adults are more likely to have high blood pressure than people of other races/ethnicities. High blood pressure can also lead to problems with your kidneys and eyes and to sexual dysfunction.Ībout one in four New Yorkers has high blood pressure, but there are usually no symptoms. The higher it is, the more damage it can do to the inside of your blood vessels. Blood pressure is the force of blood moving through your blood vessels.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, which together kill more New Yorkers than any other disease.

Printable blood pressure range chart