Blood Pressure Calculator

What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure can be defined as the force of your blood pushing against the wall of the blood vessels, the arteries to be exact. This vital sign does not reHOME stagnant, but rather goes up and down somewhat like a roller coaster as you breathe and cause the heart to pump blood through the body.

The upper part of the "roller coaster" is referred to as systolic blood pressure. Systolic pressure is the measure of the blood pressure when at its height when the heart beats to pump blood. The lower part of the "roller coaster" is referred to as diastolic pressure, which measures blood pressure at its lowest, directly in between two given heartbeats.

If your systolic blood pressure is 120 (mmHg) and your diastolic pressure is 80, you would say that your blood pressure is "120 over 80", or 120/80. In fact, 120/80 is generally regarded as optimum blood pressure for adults.

Once you reach a blood pressure of 140/90 or higher, you are said to have high blood pressure, or hypertension. What this means for your body is that the heart works harder, the arteries take more of a beating, and you stand a greater chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke as results of developing heart disease.

*(note: a blood pressure of 130/80 or higher is considered high blood pressure for those with diabetes and/or chronic kidney disease.)

In cases where obesity is also a factor, weight loss is considered to be an excellent way to help reduce blood pressure levels. There also many other benefits to the heart and its functioning that can be encouraged by a good weight loss program.

Lower your blood pressure with weight loss