

Most people with high blood pressure will not experience any symptoms, which is why people often call hypertension the “silent killer.” The table below shows how doctors interpret a person’s blood pressure: Learn more about systolic and diastolic pressure.

When the sound disappears again, it marks diastolic blood pressure. The first sound they will hear is when the pressure approaches systolic blood pressure.
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If a doctor uses a manual sphygmomanometer with a stethoscope, they will not hear any sounds until the blood starts to flow. Therefore, if blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, the systolic pressure is 120 mm Hg and the diastolic pressure is 80 mm Hg.Ī blood pressure monitor works by stopping the blood flow, usually to the lower arm, and then letting it start again. It is the lower number of the measurement and represents the blood pressure when the heart rests between beats. Diastolic pressure is the blood pressure between heartbeats. There are two parts to a blood pressure measurement: Systolic pressure, the top number on a blood pressure reading, is the blood pressure when the heart contracts.

The chart below shows measures for typical and high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).ĭoctors measure blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
