What matters most: Blood pressure has two numbers: systolic (top) is the pressure when your heart beats; diastolic (bottom) is the pressure between beats. Both are in mmHg, and around 120/80 is healthy. Categories run from normal, through elevated and stage 1 and 2 hypertension, to a hypertensive crisis above 180/120. Systolic is generally the stronger risk predictor, especially after 50.
The Two Numbers Decoded
Every blood pressure reading has two numbers, written as one over the other — for example, 120/80 mmHg (millimetres of mercury). Understanding what each represents makes your readings far more meaningful.
Systolic (the top number)
The systolic number is the higher of the two and represents the pressure in your arteries at the moment your heart beats — when it contracts and pushes blood out into your circulation. This is the peak pressure your vessels experience with each heartbeat. In the reading 120/80, the systolic pressure is 120.
Diastolic (the bottom number)
The diastolic number is the lower of the two and represents the pressure in your arteries between beats — when your heart relaxes and refills with blood. This is the baseline pressure your vessels are under even at rest. In 120/80, the diastolic pressure is 80.
The Blood Pressure Categories
Blood pressure is grouped into categories based on widely used thresholds. Here is how readings are generally classified:
A hypertensive crisis (above 180/120) is a medical emergency — especially with symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headache or vision changes. Wait a few minutes, re-measure, and seek emergency care if it stays that high or symptoms are present.
Which Number Matters More?
Both numbers carry information, but their relative importance changes with age. In younger adults, diastolic pressure has traditionally been emphasised. In people over about 50 — the majority of those with hypertension - systolic pressure becomes the stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk, because arteries stiffen with age and systolic pressure tends to climb. That said, doctors always interpret both numbers together, alongside your age, history and overall health, so neither should be dismissed.
Measuring Correctly
A reading is only as good as the technique behind it. Common errors can add or subtract several points and lead to wrong conclusions. For an accurate reading:
- Sit quietly for 5 minutes first, back supported, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed.
- Rest your arm on a surface at heart level.
- Use a validated upper-arm cuff of the correct size (wrist devices are less reliable).
- Avoid caffeine, exercise and smoking for 30 minutes beforehand.
- Do not talk during the measurement.
- Take 2-3 readings a minute apart and record the average.
- Measure at consistent times, such as morning and evening.
One reading isn't a diagnosis
Blood pressure naturally fluctuates through the day and in response to stress, activity, caffeine and even the anxiety of being measured. A single high reading doesn't mean you have hypertension — diagnosis relies on a pattern of elevated readings over time, often including home monitoring. Keep a log rather than reacting to any one number.
What to Do with Your Numbers
Once you understand your readings, they become a tool. If you are in the normal range, healthy habits keep you there. If you are elevated or in stage 1, it is a signal to act on the fundamentals — diet, sodium, exercise, weight, stress and sleep — and to monitor. If you are in stage 2, or consistently elevated, see your doctor for proper assessment and, often, medication. Tracking your numbers over time is the single best way to know whether your efforts — lifestyle changes, and any supportive supplement — are actually working.
Numbers, Supplements and Perspective
Knowing your numbers also helps you judge any supplement realistically. If you try a product like Arteris Plus, a home blood-pressure log tells you — in actual figures — whether it is helping, rather than leaving you to guess from how you feel. That data-driven approach is the best protection against both false hope and wasted money, and it keeps the focus on what the numbers, not the marketing, actually show.
Safety note: If you record a reading above 180/120 mmHg — especially with chest pain, severe headache, shortness of breath or vision changes — seek emergency care. And never use home readings as a reason to stop or change prescribed medication without your doctor.
Scientific References (PubMed)
Appel LJ, et al. (1997) "A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure (the DASH trial)." N Engl J Med. PMID: 9099655
Sacks FM, et al. (2001) "Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the DASH diet (DASH-Sodium trial)." N Engl J Med. PMID: 11136953
These citations refer to research on blood-pressure measurement and management, not to the Arteris Plus product itself, which has not undergone its own clinical trial. Studies often use doses or preparations different from those in this formula. This content is educational and not medical advice; Arteris Plus is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.