With high blood pressure being termed the biggest killer in the urban world today it is no wonder that people are keen to know more about what is normal blood pressure. Blood pressure, also known as BP, is essentially the pressure that that blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels as it travels through the circulatory system.
This blood pressure must be maintained at an optimum by the pumping of the heart so that all the organs and tissues of the body receive an adequate supply of blood. There can be a health problem in case the pressure is too high or too low.
What is systolic and diastolic blood pressure?
Each time the heart contracts and relaxes two different types of blood pressure get generated. This happens every time the heart beats. Systolic pressure is the blood pressure generated when the human heart contracts.
Diastolic pressure is generated when the heart relaxes. Thus in a single heart beat when the heart contracts and relaxes both of these are generated.
There is a difference between the pressure generated in the systolic and diastolic. The systolic gives the maximum blood pressure and the diastolic gives the minimum blood pressure.
What is normal blood pressure range?
Between the two extremes of maximum systolic blood pressure and minimum diastolic blood pressure is the normal blood pressure of the person. If your systolic blood pressure is less than 120 mmHg and your diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 mmHg then you are a lucky individual who has normal blood pressure levels.
In case your systolic is in the range of 120-139 mmHg and diastolic is in the range of 80-89 mmHg you are in a category called pre-hypertension. At this stage while you are not a patient of high blood pressure you are surely headed in that direction unless you take some effective remedial measures right away so as not to aggravate the illness.
What is the blood pressure range for hypertension?
Hypertension is the name of the disease when you have high blood pressure. In stage 1 hypertension the systolic blood pressure will be in the 140-159 mmHg range and the diastolic blood pressure will be in the 90-99 range. Here you are advised lifestyle changes to deal with the problem.
In stage 2 hypertension you have a systolic blood pressure of more than 160 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure of more than 100 mmHg. Here you will need to take specific medication and treatment to bring down your blood pressure to what is normal blood pressure.
Hypertension is rarely detected as most of the common symptoms are brushed away by the patient as attributed to fatigue or anxiety. The truth is that the disease escalates if left unchecked and can become a major health risk. It is advisable to get a blood pressure check up done regularly if you have a hectic lifestyle to see that you are not susceptible to the many complications which can arise from having high blood pressure.
