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Systolic pressure
The top number describes the pressure in your arteries at the exact moment your heart contracts and pushes blood outward. It is always the higher of the two figures.
Diastolic pressure
The bottom number describes the pressure that remains in your arteries between heartbeats, while your heart briefly rests and refills with blood.
Think of systolic as the push, and diastolic as the pause. Both matter; neither tells the full story alone.
Why context matters more than either number alone
A reading like 118/76 mmHg sits comfortably within a commonly cited resting range for most adults. As either number rises, so does long-term cardiovascular risk — gradually, not at a single fixed cutoff.
Try the interactive blood pressure explainer in the Health Library to see how different combinations are typically interpreted.
A single reading rarely settles anything
Because blood pressure naturally shifts through the day — with movement, stress, temperature and even conversation — clinicians look for a consistent pattern across several calm, seated readings rather than reacting to any one number in isolation.
A note on this article: educational information on this website is not a substitute for an individual medical consultation, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, seek immediate emergency medical care.