What the two numbers on a blood pressure cuff mean, explained simply, per AHA guidance.
Two numbers, one reading. Here's a simple breakdown, drawn from American Heart Association guidance.
The top number, systolic, reflects the pressure in your arteries as your heart beats. The bottom number, diastolic, reflects the pressure between beats, while your heart rests.
The AHA maintains general categories from normal through elevated and into different hypertension stages. Because exact thresholds can be revised, we'd rather point you to their current guidance directly than risk restating an outdated number here.
A single measurement is a snapshot. Your doctor considers patterns over time and your full health picture, not one number in isolation.
Follow your doctor's specific instructions on cuff placement, timing and frequency — consistency in method matters more than any single reading.