Expected Levels of Diastolic and Systolic Blood Pressure

The real order that the numbers in a blood pressure reading are given is systolic over diastolic. The systolic pressure is higher, because it is the reading taken whilst the heart actually pumps or beats and the diastolic pressure is lower because it is taken when the heart sucks in a fresh volume of blood to pump around.

There are rough figures that doctors quote as 'regular', but there is no clear, definitive agreement what these numbers are. In the west, most books will say that any reading under 120/80 is all right. However, there are numerous medical professionals who will say that 140/80 does not need treatment, other than to lose a few pounds, if you are over weight.

This makes it very difficult for the unqualified person to judge for him or herself, whether his or her blood pressure (BP) is satisfactory or not. BP monitors are very comforting, very accurate yet not expensive nowadays, yet how can you interpret the data they give you, if not every medical expert has the same opinion?

Maybe the only method to get the most sense of this data is to go along to your general practitioner with your blood pressure monitor and talk about its results with your doctor. Your doctor can use his or her sophisticated equipment and verify it with yours and your doctor can give you a couple of figures that can be expected for someone like you.

I say this because there are several things that can have an effect on BP. In fact, actual blood pressure changes with each beat of the heart, so your blood pressure can be different each time you take it, which is why a BP monitor takes the average (or the maximum) over, say, a two minute period.

Factors that can (and often do) have an effect on blood pressure are:

The 'White Coat Effect': some people's BP soars by as much as 25-50 points if they go into a doctor's surgery. This could be anxiety or it could be fear of doctors, and it is a documented difficulty.

Mood: fear, anger, depression and anxiety can unsettle your BP.

Age: your age has a bearing on your BP.

Weather: the temperature and the humidity has an effect on BP

Stress: stress, restiveness, lack of sleep and tiredness can affect the levels of your blood pressure.

Diet: which foodstuffs and beverages you have recently consumed have an impact as do whether you are constipated or merely 'full'.

Smoking: smoking and drinking alcohol have an effect on BP.

Exercise: your physical condition, your metabolism and the amount of exercise you take are also factors.

Time of the Day: for all the above reasons and more, the time of the day that you take the reading has an impact, which is why it is a sensible idea to have your own blood pressure monitor at home.

Then you can measure your BP at certain times of the day and compare the results with the expected levels of diastolic and systolic blood pressure given you by your medical doctor.

View the original article here