Systolic vs diastolic: what the two numbers mean
A blood pressure reading contains two pressure measurements. Systolic is the upper number, measured as the heart contracts; diastolic is the lower number, measured between beats.
Read the guideUnderstanding your records
Make sense of the numbers and the record behind them.
What does the pulse on a blood pressure monitor mean?
The pulse displayed by a blood pressure monitor describes heart rate, not a third blood pressure value. Its usual unit is beats per minute, while pressure is recorded in mm Hg.
Read the guideA single high blood pressure reading or a changing pattern?
One result and a change across several days are different observations. Keep an unusual measurement, but do not treat it alone as proof of a lasting change or dismiss it because the rest of the week looks familiar.
Read the guideHow to calculate average blood pressure from your readings
Calculate systolic and diastolic averages separately from the set of readings you intend to summarize. The arithmetic is simple; choosing and describing the set matters just as much.
Read the guideBest time to take blood pressure: morning and evening routines
The useful time for home readings depends on your monitoring plan. Keeping morning and evening records distinguishable can make a diary easier to interpret, but clock time alone does not show that preparation was comparable.
Read the guideHow often should you check your blood pressure at home?
There is no single home-monitoring schedule that fits every purpose. A short assessment requested by a clinician is different from ongoing observation or follow-up after a treatment change.
Read the guideBlood pressure higher at the doctor than at home? What to record
Blood pressure measured at home and in a clinic can differ. The location is useful context, but a difference by itself does not establish why it happened or which value should be ignored.
Read the guideBlood pressure targets by age: why your plan is individual
A reference chart and an individual treatment target are not the same thing. Ask your clinician what target applies to you, which measurements it refers to and what action to take outside it.
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