One of the greatest risk factors for developing life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and stroke is an increase in blood pressure. Nearly 75 million Americans currently suffer from high blood pressure, and only half have the condition under control.
Blood pressure is the force of blood against vessel walls and is typically measured in millimeters of mercury. Number values (for instance, 120/80) are given for two measurements: one for systolic blood pressure (top number) and the other for diastolic (bottom number), meaning the force during a heartbeat and the force during rest, respectively.
