The heart rate, a single number, denotes the number of heart beats per minute. A reading of 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) is considered normal. The elasticity of the blood vessels helps determine this number. Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) measures pressure as the heart relaxes between beats. Systolic pressure (the top number) records the pressure as the heart beats and forces blood into the arteries. That’s why we ask some patients to keep track of both readings throughout the day.”īlood pressure, usually two numbers, measures the force the heart exerts against the walls of arteries when pumping out blood through the body. “Medications for hypertension (high blood pressure) can slow or raise heart rates. “Most people who start measuring their blood pressure get the idea that BP and heart rate don’t correlate,” Dr.
These patients are usually on medications to control BP or have other heart disease risk factors. There are many misconceptions regarding BP and heart rate readings, primarily because the two are usually taken simultaneously by most doctors and by self-monitoring devices that people use at home.Īny confusion between the two readings usually clears up among patients who need to measure their blood pressure regularly, says Curtis Hamburg, M.D., a cardiologist with Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute and member of the Baptist Health Quality Network. Your blood pressure and your heart rate do not necessarily correlate, meaning your pulse is not usually a good indicator of either high or low blood pressure.Ī rising heart rate does not necessarily cause your blood pressure (BP) to increase at the same rate.
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