What Are Good Blood Pressure Numbers?

When the heart pumps blood through the arteries, the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries. A blood pressure reading measures the amount of this force in two ways---when the heart muscle is pumping and when it is at rest.

Types

• Systolic pressure (the top number) is the pressure when the heart muscle is beating, or pumping blood. Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) is the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.

Identification

• Normal blood pressure for adults over 20 years old, as defined by the American Heart Association, is a reading lower than 120/80.

Significance

• When your blood pressure rises above 120/80, you are at risk of developing high blood pressure. The greater the blood pressure reading, the higher the risk, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Considerations

• High blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association, is a reading higher than 140/90.

Features

• Low blood pressure is a reading below 90/60, as classified by the American Heart Association.