What is blood pressure?
Blood is transferred across the body, from heart to brain and other parts of the body through our arteries. In order for this to happen you need a certain amount of pressure to get the blood moving around your body. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries. It is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and is recorded using two numbers:
- Systolic pressure (the higher number): is the pressure when your heart pushes blood out.
- Diastolic pressure (the lower number): is the pressure when your heart relaxes between beats.
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