Your doctor will give you a goal for your blood pressure. The bottom number may be 80 or 90 or higher. For diagnosis, the top number may be 130 or 140 or higher. But if the top number stays high, or the bottom number stays high, or both, that means you have high blood pressure (hypertension). It's normal for blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. This is the force of blood on the artery walls between heartbeats. The second number is the diastolic pressure (bottom number). This is the force of blood on the artery walls as your heart pumps.
The first number is the systolic pressure (top number). Blood pressure readings include two numbers. Overview What do your blood pressure numbers mean?īlood pressure is a measure of the force of blood against the walls of your arteries.