Ideal Blood Pressure

The heart while pumping blood exerts pressure on the walls of the blood vessels. This pressure exerted on the blood vessels is known as blood pressure. There are two components of blood pressure, namely systolic and diastolic pressure. The ideal blood pressure includes the average for both, systolic and diastolic pressure.

Ideal Blood Pressure Levels

There is a particular range recommended, for blood pressure to be fit into ideal range. Doctors refer to this 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

It is said that the normal blood pressure differs from one geographic region to another. Therefore, 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.

At every heartbeat, the heart pumps blood. The blood pressure is high when the heart pumps blood into the arteries. This high blood pressure is called systolic blood pressure. When the heart has to exert more force to pump blood, the pressure increases. 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. The systolic blood pressure is always higher than the diastolic blood pressure. The ideal systolic blood pressure levels of a healthy person should not be higher than 130 mm of Hg (read as millimeters of Mercury), whereas, the ideal diastolic blood pressure reading for a healthy person should approximately be 80 mm of Hg. 120/80 or a little lower, but the pressure levels should not be very low either. Very low blood pressure levels for a few days consistently can lead to heart failure.

The ideal systolic pre-hypertension blood pressure is defined in the range of 120-139mm Hg, whereas, the diastolic pre-hypertension is defined in the range of 80-89mm Hg. Slight variations in the ideal blood pressure levels are considered to be normal, as there are many factors, like illness, diet, stress levels and drugs, which can lead to increase or decrease of blood pressure.

Hypertension blood pressure normally measures around 140/90mm Hg, though some doctors choose to differ. According to them a person has hypertension if the person's blood pressure is consistently above 130/90mm Hg. 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. There are two stages of hypertension. In stage I, the blood pressure is usually around 140/90mm Hg and in stage II, the blood pressure is around 160/100mm Hg. Some of the main reasons for hypertension are sedentary lifestyle, excessive intake of common salt, smoking, alcohol consumption, hereditary, stress and obesity.

Maintaining the blood pressure 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 stroke. A healthy living which includes regular exercise, abstaining from smoking, moderate to no consumption of alcohol and taking the medication prescribed for high blood pressure can help you maintain the blood pressure in its ideal range.