Your blood pressure consists of two separate numbers: your systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Together, the two numbers in a blood pressure reading represent the measure of the force of blood exerted on the artery walls. These readings are crucial for understanding your cardiovascular health, since high blood pressure doesn’t cause symptoms.
References
American Heart Association. (2023). Understanding blood pressure readings.
American Heart Association. (2023). What is high blood pressure?
Canadian Journal of Cardiology. (2006). Things you need to know about blood pressure and hypertension.
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Written by:
Lauren Smith, MALauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.
Reviewed by:
Sanjai Sinha, MDSanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.
