Individual blood pressure normal range from average to abnormal, but the American Heart Association advises aiming for readings under 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic.
When a person has either a systolic pressure of 130 to 139 or a diastolic pressure of 80 to 89, they are said to have stage 1 hypertension.
However, blood pressure may be too high or too low, both harmful. In this post, we will go through what blood pressure is, how it is tested, and what the results indicate for our health.
How does blood pressure work?
The force that propels blood through the circulatory system is blood pressure. Blood pressure is crucial because the circulatory system cannot pump nutrients and oxygen to feed tissues and organs without it.
Blood pressure is also essential because it transports hormones like insulin, white blood cells, and antibodies for immunity.
The new blood provided can take up the toxic waste products of metabolism, including the carbon dioxide we exhale with every breath and the toxins we remove via the liver and kidneys, which is just as crucial as giving oxygen and nutrition.
Temperature is only one of many other characteristics that blood itself possesses. Additionally, it contains clotting platelets, one of the body’s defences against tissue damage, which stop blood loss after injury.
But why does blood pressure in the arteries exist? A portion of the solution is straightforward: with each beating, the heart contracts, pushing blood out of the body. But a pounding heart cannot produce blood pressure normal range on its own.
Typical blood pressure measurement ranges
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), normal blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic. Blood pressure usually fluctuates, nevertheless, for a variety of causes.
Older 2003 recommendations. According to Trusted Source, the risk of cardiovascular disease doubles for blood pressure normal range readings exceeding 115/75 mm Hg for every 10 mm Hg increase.
In November 2017, updated Trusted Source released recommendations for high blood pressure normal range. They make early intervention possible.
Since 2017, the AHA has recommended treating high blood pressure patients at 130/80 mm Hg instead of 140/90 mm Hg.
The “prehypertension” range between 120 and 139/80 and 89 mm Hg was also eliminated. Stage II hypertension, not stage I, is defined as a blood pressure value of 140/90 mm Hg.
This category is currently divided into two ranges:
- high blood pressure, measuring between 120 and 129/less than 80 mm Hg
- hypertension stage I, 130-139/80-89 mm Hg
- chart for high blood pressure
- Category Systolic and/or Diastolic
- Typical pressures are 120 mm Hg and 80 mm Hg.
- 120 mm Hg and more (at risk, or prehypertension), and less than 80 mm Hg
- Stage 1 hypertension, 130-139 mm Hg or 80-89 mm Hg
- stage 2 hypertension > 140 mm Hg or > 90 mm Hg
- emergency hypertensive crisis > 180 mm Hg and> 120 mm Hg
The AHA further recommends that physicians only administer medicine in situations of prior heart attack or stroke or where there are risk factors for these ailments, such as advanced age, a diagnosis of diabetes, or chronic renal disease.
Instead, lifestyle modifications should be the primary treatment method for high blood pressure in its early phases.
How the body’s blood pressure system works
Blood has “flow,” and arteries are “pipes,” much like a complex plumbing system. Blood flow is caused by a fundamental physical fact that also holds in a garden hose pipe.
A difference in pressure causes blood to circulate through the body.
The beginning of the blood pressure’s trip from the heart, when it enters the aorta, is when it is most excellent, and the journey’s conclusion, via increasingly smaller branches of arteries, is when it is lowest. The differential in pressure is what causes the blood to circulate.
Similar to how the physical characteristics of a garden hose pipe influence water pressure, arteries impact blood pressure. At the point of constriction, pressure rises when the pipe is constrained.
For instance, the blood pressure would decrease more rapidly as it is pumped out of the heart if the artery walls weren’t elastic.
The arteries’ characteristics are equally crucial to maintaining pressure and enabling blood to circulate throughout the body, even though the heart generates most of it.
Blood pressure and blood flow are influenced by artery health, and narrowing the arteries may finally wholly cut off the supply, resulting in hazardous diseases, including heart attack and stroke.
Measurement of blood pressure
The sphygmomanometer is the tool used to measure blood pressure. It comprises a rubber wristband that is inflated using a manual or electric pump.
An electronic or analog dial reading is obtained after inflating the cuff sufficiently to halt the pulse.
The reading is the force required to drive mercury along a tube against gravity. This is the basis for measuring pressure by adopting the abbreviation mm Hg—millimetres of mercury.
Regular blood pressure checks don’t hurt or feel uncomfortable. It could, however, momentarily feel constrictive around the arm.
Measurements of blood pressure
When the pulse sound resumes and the pressure on the cuff is gradually relaxed, the exact moment may be determined using a stethoscope. The individual taking the blood pressure may listen to two locations using a stethoscope.
The systolic and diastolic pressure are the two numbers that make up a blood pressure measurement. For instance, the reading may be 140 over 90 mm Hg.
The diastolic number is the lower pressure in the arteries during the short “resting” time between heartbeats. Systolic pressure is the more significant number brought on by the heart’s contraction.
Guidelines for lowering blood pressure
The following actions patients may take to help maintain healthy blood pressure are listed by the AHATrusted Source:
- Based on a doctor’s advice, maintain a healthy body weight.
- A balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables is recommended.
- Reduce your intake of salt and sodium in your diet.
Make an effort to move your body for at least 30 minutes daily, most days of the week, by brisk walking.
Stress management.
Moderate alcohol consumption. Less than two alcoholic drinks should be consumed by men each day. Men and women with lower body weights should limit their alcohol consumption to one daily drink.
Give up smoking.
To appropriately manage all medicines, work with a doctor.
Doing these actions may lower your chance of developing health issues later on.
Worries about low blood pressure
Hypotension, or low blood pressure, is often less concerning than high blood pressure. It may, however, still be a sign of health problems.
A person is said to have low blood pressure if their reading is less than 90/60 mm Hg. According to the AHATrusted Source, physicians often do not see this as an issue unless additional symptoms also occur.
Some underlying conditions include internal bleeding, heart illness, pregnancy, and certain drugs.
To treat any underlying issues, a patient should see their doctor if they develop further symptoms.
Takeaway
The body needs blood pressure to function. It could, however, go too high or too low. Hypertension, sometimes referred to as high blood pressure, is a measurement of the blood pressure that is excessively high. A doctor should manage this as it may result in many health problems.
High blood pressure may be controlled, especially with early intervention and modest lifestyle changes.