HEART & BLOOD PRESSURE

Blood pressure refers to the amount of work the heart has to do to push blood through the arteries in order to deliver essential oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.
Everyone has blood pressure and it is measured using two numbers. One number records the force at which your heart pumps the blood around your body. This is the highest level your blood pressure reaches and is called the systolic pressure. The second number refers to the lowest pressure and is the measurement taken as the heart relaxes between beats. This is called diastolic pressure.
The reading taken by your doctor is then written as two numbers. A blood pressure reading under 120/80mmHg is considered optimal, where 120 is the higher or systolic pressure and 80 is the lower or diastolic pressure.