Think of your circulatory system as the plumbing network of your body. To keep life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients moving through miles of blood vessels, your heart needs to exert force. That force is Blood Pressure (BP). When you get your BP checked, you are given two numbers, usually read as "120 over 80." Here's what they mean: The Top Number (Systolic Pressure): This measures the pressure in your arteries at the exact moment your heart contracts and pumps blood out. The
