what is considered low blood pressure?
Low blood pressure is the opposite of hypertension or high blood pressure. An individual’s blood pressure is measured and expressed in two numbers, specifically as systolic/diastolic blood pressure (e.g. 120/80 mmHg). The first is called the systolic pressure which represents the pressure in the arteries as the muscle of the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries. The second is called the diastolic blood pressure which occurs when your heart relaxes and represents the pressure measurement in the arteries as the muscle of the heart relaxes after it contracts. When the heart muscle is pumping (squeezing), blood pressure is always higher than when it is relaxing, thus the systolic pressure or top blood pressure measurement is the higher of the two numbers. The higher the systolic or diastolic pressure, and the longer it stays high, the more damage this causes to the blood vessels. A blood pressure of 90/120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is considered to be the normal systolic
