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The blood pressure reading is recorded as two numbers, systolic and diastolic. The systolic blood pressure represents the amount of pressure the blood is applying against artery walls during heartbeats whereas the diastolic blood pressure shows while the heart is resting between beats. [citation needed]
When measuring blood pressure in the home, an accurate reading requires that one not drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, or engage in strenuous exercise for 30 minutes before taking the reading. A full bladder may have a small effect on blood pressure readings; if the urge to urinate arises, one should do so before the reading.
Blood pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure (maximum pressure during one heartbeat) over diastolic pressure (minimum pressure between two heartbeats) in the cardiac cycle. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) above the surrounding atmospheric pressure , or in kilopascals (kPa).
Talk with your health care professional about how often to take your blood pressure. Take multiple readings and record the results. Each time you measure, take two readings one minute apart.
The treatment of moderately high arterial blood pressure (defined as >160/100 mmHg) with medications is associated with an improved life expectancy. [15] The effect of treatment of blood pressure between 130/80 mmHg and 160/100 mmHg is less clear, with some reviews finding benefit [6] [16] [17] [18] and others finding unclear benefit.
A sphygmomanometer (/ ˌ s f ɪ ɡ m oʊ m ə ˈ n ɒ m ɪ t ə r / SFIG-moh-mə-NO-mi-tər), also known as a blood pressure monitor, or blood pressure gauge, is a device used to measure blood pressure, composed of an inflatable cuff to collapse and then release the artery under the cuff in a controlled manner, [1] and a mercury or aneroid manometer to measure the pressure.
Ambulatory blood pressure, as opposed to office blood pressure and home blood pressure, [1] is the blood pressure over the course of the full 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring ( ABPM ) measures blood pressure at regular intervals throughout the day and night.
The ideal blood pressure in the brachial artery, where standard blood pressure cuffs measure pressure, is <120/80 mmHg. Other major arteries have similar levels of blood pressure recordings indicating very low disparities among major arteries.