What does systolic number mean

Learn more about ways to manage and prevent high blood pressure. In addition to making positive lifestyle changes, some people with high blood pressure need to take medicine to manage their blood pressure. Learn more about medicines for high blood pressure. By taking action to lower your blood pressure, you can help protect yourself against heart disease and stroke, also sometimes called cardiovascular disease CVD.

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Legal Conditions and Terms Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Advertising Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. During a heartbeat, the heart is pushing blood out into the arteries. Doctors call this "systole," and that's why it's called the systolic blood pressure. It's the pressure during a heartbeat and the highest pressure measured. When the reading is mmHg or a little below while a person is sitting quietly at rest, the systolic blood pressure is considered normal.

The heart muscle pushes out blood with higher pressure when a person is exercising , under stress, or at similar times when the heart rate is increased. The systolic pressure goes up with it. In these cases, the increased pressure is normal. However, when the pressure is high while a person is resting, that's considered high blood pressure. That's why it is so important to take your blood pressure during periods of quiet rest to diagnose hypertension , or high blood pressure.

High systolic blood pressure is usually caused by narrowing of the arteries, which makes the heart have to work harder to push blood through. If the systolic blood pressure is lower than normal, it's called hypotension. If this low blood pressure is serious enough, it can cause lightheadedness , dizziness , or fainting. If it lasts long enough and it isn't treated, it may cause organs like your kidneys to start shutting down.

Systolic hypotension can occur if the amount of blood in your body becomes too low. This can happen if you are severely dehydrated or you have major bleeding; there just isn't enough blood to push through the body. It also may happen if the heart muscle is too weak to push blood normally, as in cases of cardiomyopathy damaged heart muscle or if the arteries suddenly widen too much, as in vasovagal syncope a reflex that causes fainting. Sometimes this low blood pressure happens when you change positions suddenly.

You may feel dizzy when you stand up because gravity is pulling blood down toward your feet. This is a common condition called orthostatic hypotension. Your systolic blood pressure is the higher and first number in a blood pressure reading. If it's too high while you are at rest, you may need to have it treated. But pressure that's too low may be a serious problem too, so be sure to discuss your situation with your doctor.

The heart rests between beats so it can refill with blood. Doctors call this pause between beats "diastole. A normal diastolic blood pressure during quiet rest is 80 mmHg or a little below. If you have high blood pressure, the diastolic number is often higher even during quiet rest.

Low diastolic pressure may be seen with dehydration or with severe bleeding. It also may happen if the arteries relax and widen. Your systolic and diastolic pressures—the highest and lowest points of your heartbeat—change depending on your activity level, stress, fluid intake, and other factors.

This means that it is better to limit how these other factors change your pressure when taking a blood pressure reading. For the most accurate reading, it should be taken in a calm, warm space after you rest quietly for at least five minutes. You should be relaxed, with your arms at your sides, and the cuff should be placed on your arm at about the level of your heart. Your legs should be uncrossed, and your bladder should be empty—both of these can affect your reading.

Many experts suggest recording blood pressures over an extended period of time, such as repeating measurements at home, before diagnosing high blood pressure.

Your blood pressure is a measurement of the pressures in your arteries while your heart is beating systolic and between beats diastolic. These values are important in diagnosing and managing high blood pressure.

They're also important numbers to know for treating a range of conditions, including heart disease or severe blood loss. It's important to get an accurate reading under calm, quiet conditions. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure exerted when blood is ejected into the arteries. When written as a fraction, the systolic blood pressure is the top number.

Normal systolic blood pressure is mmHg or lower.