Monitoring Your Blood Pressure Readings
There are various ways in which you can monitor blood pressure, your doctor can check it for you quickly and easily or you can take your own blood pressure readings with various machines which are available on the market. For example you can get an ambulatory blood pressure monitor or even a monitor which fits round your wrist. No matter how you go about determining your blood pressure the most important thing is that you are aware of the range which determines whether the blood pressure is normal or otherwise.
In healthy adults blood pressure will be held steady within a certain range, a blood pressure reading of between 120 and 130 beats per minutes. However, this can be lower for instance someone who is extremely physically fit their heart rate can be 120 beats per minute or even less. For the diastolic blood pressure reading the normal range is set between 80 and 90 beats per minute. Your doctor may express a normal blood pressure reading as 123/85 for instance.
Basically, any blood pressure reading which is below 120 and 80 beats per minute is seen as being normal for a healthy physically active adult. In some instances individuals may have slightly higher readings which are "normal" for them although they are higher than the general rule for a healthy blood pressure reading. Such individuals may have readings as high as 130-139 systolic pressure and 85-89 diastolic pressure.
All this said it is essential that we have an understanding of what blood pressure actually is. Blood is carried through the circulation system, for it to get there is has to be pumped by the heart through the four chambers in the heart and into the major arteries in the body. Systolic blood pressure is created each time the heart muscle contracts. The figures seen first on any blood pressure reading are the systolic reading gained when the heart muscle relaxes in between beats.
High blood pressure is often a problem for those individuals who are over weight or suffer high levels of stress and high cholesterol. The other side of the coin is individuals who are ill or suffering from loss of blood where low blood pressure readings are recorded. This is equally as serious as high blood pressure and can cause the patient to go into shock and ultimately cause death in extreme cases.
It is important that we look after our bodies and ensure that our children look after theirs by providing a healthy diet and allowing them to get enough physical exercise. It is possible that they too can develop high blood pressure in adulthood. Some children are more at risk than others, in particular those who have certain medical conditions or who are prescribed medication which has a tenancy to raise blood pressure.
Generally childrens range for healthy blood pressure readings are lower than those of an adult and vary depending on the age of the child. For example, a small child aged between 3-5 years of age would typically have a reading of 116/75 where as a teenager may have a reading of 136/86. Typically the range for children would be 122-136 systolic and 78-90 diastolic pressure
The most important thing to keep in mind that blood pressure readings will not always be the same, various factors in our daily lives will effect them. Illness, stress and something as simple as being really angry can greatly effect blood pressure readings, therefore by knowing what is "normal" for you will enable you to spot readings that are higher or lower than usual and if needed get medical advise.