Ideal Blood Pressure

Blood, pumped by the heart, exerts pressure on the walls of the blood vessels. This pressure exerted on the blood vessels is known as blood pressure (BP). The blood pressure is said to be normal, when the heart has to pump blood with minimum pressure.

There are two components of blood pressure, namely systolic and diastolic pressure. The ideal blood pressure range includes the average for both, systolic and diastolic pressure.

Doctors refer to the ideal blood pressure level, when they ascertain normal blood pressure for a person. There are various factors, which are to be taken into consideration, to ascertain natural blood pressure. The factors are:

• Age
• Health
• Gender
• Race

As the normal blood pressure differs from one geographic region to another, race is a factor which is taken into consideration. You will find plenty of blood pressure charts, which describe the ideal blood pressure according to age. 

Factors that affect normal blood pressure in adults are smoking, stress, aging, excessive consumption of salt through diet, lack of physical activity, alcohol/drug abuse, obesity, wrong diet, and existing health conditions (for example, kidney and thyroid disorders), medication, etc.

Even changes in posture, exercise, sleep, etc. can change your blood pressure. Your BP does not remain constant, it keeps on changing, and the readings can be different every time.

The blood pressure is high, when the heart pumps blood into the arteries. This high blood pressure is called systolic blood pressure. On the other hand, when the heart is resting between two heartbeats, the pressure decreases. This decreased blood pressure is known as diastolic blood pressure.

When the heart has to exert more force to pump blood, the pressure increases. The systolic blood pressure is always higher than the diastolic one.

➺ Diastolic blood pressure between 60-80 mm Hg and systolic blood pressure between 90-120 mm Hg (read as millimeters of Mercury) is considered as ideal blood pressure.

➺ Ideally, systolic blood pressure of a healthy person should not be higher than 120 mm of Hg.

➺ Ideally, diastolic blood pressure reading for a healthy person should approximately be 80 mm of Hg. 120/80 mm Hg or a little lower is considered as normal blood pressure.

➺ The pressure levels should not be very low either. Consistently low blood pressure levels can lead to heart failure.

➺ Normal and ideal blood pressure ranges may be lower for children and teenagers.

➺ The ideal systolic pre-hypertension blood pressure is defined in the range of 120-139 mm Hg.

➺ The diastolic pre-hypertension is defined in the range of 80-89 mm Hg.

➺ Hypertension blood pressure normally measures around 140/90 mm Hg, though some doctors choose to differ. According to them a person has hypertension, if this/her blood pressure is consistently above 130/90 mm Hg.

➺ There are two stages of hypertension. In stage I, the systolic blood pressure is usually between 140-159 mm Hg and the diastolic reading is between 90-99 mm Hg. In stage II, the systolic blood pressure can be around 160 mm Hg or higher, and the diastolic reading can be 100 mm Hg or higher.

Some of the main reasons for hypertension are sedentary lifestyle, excessive intake of common salt, smoking, alcohol consumption, heredity, stress, and obesity.

➺ The ideal systolic hypotension blood pressure is defined in the range of 70-89 mm Hg.

➺ The diastolic hypotension is defined in the range of 40-59 mm Hg.

Slight variations in the ideal blood pressure levels are considered normal, as there are many factors, like illness, diet, stress levels, and drugs, which can lead to increased or decreased BP levels.

Often it is noticed that high blood pressure is not detected till the person visits a doctor for a medical checkup. Sometimes the person suffers a heart attack, only then does the person realize that he has been suffering from high blood pressure.

Maintaining the blood pressure within the normal range is important as it reduces complications, which can be caused due to underlying conditions such as, diabetes or kidney related diseases. At the same time it also reduces the risk of a heart attack and stroke.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.