subject: Who Knows The Normal Blood Pressure Range? [print this page] A normal blood pressure range for Systolic and Diastolic readings is ideally 120/80 for people between 20 and 40 years. Anything above this figure signals pre-hypertension or stage 1 and 2 hypertension.
The systole is when the heart contracts to pump the blood around the arteries, whereas the Diastole is when it rests. The common names are Systolic meaning the measurement of blood pressure when the heart pumps, and diastolic, when the heart rests and the pressure drops. This is measured when the air is released from the cuff and the rushing sound stops.
The expression "normal" is to be taken in the sense of being routine. Really, it depends on health, age, or gender. As we age, the elasticity of our arteries and veins deteriorates affecting blood pressure, and pre-menopausal women usually have lower pressure than men of the same age.
It used to be the practice of determining if you had normal blood pressure, by first adding 100 to your age to get a rough guide of the expected systolic pressure. If your age was 50 then your reading would be compared to about 150.
Following a blood pressure test they would then compare the reading with that supposed figure to know if they were hypertensive or not. Now this procedure has been discarded for a more reliable method of comparing it with the ideal 120/80 mark.
If you start to rise above 120/80 to 139/89 you are pre-hypertensive, in a condition that can easily lead to stage 1 hypertension, when the diastolic or first number reaches 140 to 159, and the diastolic or second number reaches 90 to 99. If you fall below 120/80 you are classed as having low blood pressure.
Choose morning, noon, and evening times to take your pressure, giving you a more accurate, overall reading. Blood pressure changes at different times of the day, so you will see a pattern develop that will help you know if you are still within the acceptable range.
Checking your blood pressure in this way can also help you to see the difference that changes in lifestyle or nutritional supplementing is having on your condition, encouraging you to continue in your effort. If you keep it up, you will notice your numbers edging their way back towards the normal blood pressure range.
