What is Blood Pressure?

As your heart contracts it pushes blood into your arteries which causes an increase in pressure. At the highest point, it is known as systolic pressure. As your heart relaxes and refills with blood, the pressure in your arteries falls and this is known as diastolic pressure. When blood pressure is measured, both of these pressures are important and measured.

Blood pressure is always given as the systolic and diastolic pressures. Usually they are written one above or before the other, such as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is the systolic and the bottom the diastolic.

What is normal blood pressure?

'Normal' or 'acceptable' blood pressure varies with age, state of health and clinical situation. It rises steadily throughout childhood, so that in a young adult it might be 120/80 mmHg. As we get older, blood pressure continues to rise. A rule of thumb is that normal systolic pressure is your age in years + 100.

However, to judge whether any particular reading is too high or too low, you must compare the reading with the 'normal' for yourself.

NB. A doctor is always the best place to obtain your “normal” reading.

Here are the World Health Organisation's estimates of various blood pressure thresholds.

Range Systolic Diastolic
Hypertension >140mmHg >90mmHg
High-Normal 130-139mmHg 85-89mmHg
Normal <129mmHg <84mmHg
Hypotension <90mmHg <50mmHg


What are the problems with high blood pressure?

With high blood pressure, the heart works harder, your arteries take a beating, and your chances of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are much greater.

What are the problems with low blood pressure?

Low pressure alone, without symptoms or signs, usually is not unhealthy. However, low blood pressure that causes an inadequate flow of blood to the body’s organs can cause strokes, heart attacks, and failure of the kidneys.

Why not check your blood pressure?

Keeping a check on your blood pressure is an extremely important task to do and not something that should be taken lightly. Please check out our Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor and Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor to enable you to do so.