What Is The Difference Between Systolic Blood Pressure And Diastolic Blood Pressure?

When blood pressure is measured, two readings are given; a systolic pressure result and a diastolic pressure result. These readings are usually given in a fraction like way, with the systolic findings as the top figure and the diastolic findings as the bottom.

When a heart is in systole, it is said to be contracted, and so systolic blood pressure measures the pressure of the blood in the blood vessels when the heart is contracted.  

Diastolic blood pressure is the opposite; when a heart is in diastole, it is said to be relaxed, and so diastolic blood pressure is a measure of the pressure of the blood in the blood vessels when the heart is relaxed.

Having your blood pressure taken is often just a routine procedure whenever you visit the doctor, but it is important that the pressure falls within the parameters of safety. For many in the West, high blood pressure (hypertension) is something that they have to take medication for every day to keep it at manageable levels.

Untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart problems, strokes, kidney problems and impaired vision, which can occur without warning. The trouble with high blood pressure is that it doesn't present any significant or obvious symptoms and is often referred to as the silent killer, which is what makes having it checked regularly so important.

There are some lifestyle choices that can cause high blood pressure such as smoking, being obese, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, particularly binge drinking, lack of exercise and a poor diet that is high in salt.

If you are diagnosed with having blood pressure, your doctor may want you to make some changes to your lifestyle before starting medication to see if that makes a noticeable difference.

Systolic blood pressure is the maximum pressure in the arteries due to contraction of the ventricles at the beginning of the cardiac cycle.  Diastolic blood pressure is the minimum pressure in the arteries when ventricles are filled with blood at the end of the cardiac cycle. Normal systolic blood pressure is 120 and diastolic 80.

Blood pressure in the body can be measured in an GP surgery with a sphygmomanometer. The reading gives two separate values called the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure.

The systolic blood pressure is a measure of the pressure exerted on the inside of the blood vessels when your heart muscle is contracting and pumping blood. This is the maximum pressure in the blood vessels. The diastolic blood pressure is the pressure between heart beats when the heart is resting and filling with blood. This is the minimum pressure in the blood vessels.

Normal blood pressure has values similar to 70 over 140 and high blood pressure is defined as a consistently increased systolic blood pressure of 140 or over and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 85 or over. High blood pressure is a common problem for people in western countries but it can be monitored and treated.

What is the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure?

S blood going into heart d blood going out of heart