Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Normal Blood Pressure Range And You.

By Jamesina Goulbourne

Persons in the 20 to 40 age group would measure their numbers against the typical normal blood pressure range which is 120/80 mmHg. The first number is the systolic and the second the diastolic. If your numbers read higher, then you fit into the pre-hypertension category and above.

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 "norm" range, or what is to be expected, can vary depending on what age, sex, and how healthy you are. For instance, it increases with age when the elasticity of arteries is reduced. Blood pressure in women normally is lower than in men, due to pre-menopausal factors.

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.

After taking their blood pressure, they would check the reading and compare it with that figure. Doing this would give a good indication if they were over the norm or under. The practice has since been abandoned and the more reliable way of determining which category you fit into is to compare it with the ideal number 120/80 mmHg.

Rising above 120/80 or anywhere up to 139/89 puts you in the pre-hypertensive category. If not checked, it can escalate to stage 1 and then onto stage 2. The numbers that indicate those stages begin with 1st stage, 140/90 to 159/99, and 2nd stage anything beyond. Dropping below 120/80 takes you into the low pressure category.

Because blood pressure fluctuates all through the day, taking regular blood pressure readings at the same time each day will give a more accurate reading, which you need to compare with the ideal blood pressure number.

Taking nutritional supplements and changing lifestyle habits do have an impact of blood pressure. You are more likely to be encouraged by using this method of reading your blood pressure because it will show up any change towards a normal blood pressure range. That depends though on how consistent you are.

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