This is called diastolic blood pressure, and is also displayed on the results from a public machine. The bottom number is blood pressure when the heart relaxes. This is usually the term used on the results from public blood pressure machines in pharmacies.
This is also called systolic blood pressure. The top number is blood pressure when the heart beats (meaning, when it contracts).
Ask your health care provider how to use the monitor correctly. If you have high blood pressure, you should use a home blood pressure monitor. What matters is what happens to your blood pressure outside your health care provider’s office. Even people already being treated for high blood pressure go through this. If your blood pressure is high while with your health care provider but normal otherwise, you may just be nervous. For example, your blood pressure can increase when you are nervous or in a hurry.
You need more than 1 reading because blood pressure changes depending on what you are doing and varies during the day. To figure out your blood pressure rate, your health care provider takes blood pressure readings at different times.
