ANH16170 01:14

MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: A healthcare professional can measure your blood pressure to find out if you have high blood pressure. This video will help you understand what the numbers in your blood pressure mean. Your blood pressure can be measured with a blood pressure cuff called a sphygmomanometer. When your heart beats, the pressure of blood on the walls of your arteries is called systolic pressure. When your heart relaxes between beats, pressure on the artery wall is called diastolic pressure. Your blood pressure may change throughout the day. However, optimal systolic pressure should be less than 120, and optimal diastolic pressure should be less than 80. If your systolic pressure frequently stays above 130 or your diastolic pressure frequently stays above 80, you have high blood pressure. Your specific goals may vary, depending on your health situation. Ask your doctor what your blood pressure goals should be. … more