As a general guide: ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg. high blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher.
Becoming more active can lower both the top and the bottom blood pressure numbers. How much lower isn't entirely clear. Studies show drops from 4 to 12 mm Hg diastolic and 3 to 6 mm Hg systolic. Regular exercise also helps maintain a healthy weight.
If you break the results down further, you find that strength-trained athletes have slightly higher blood pressure than endurance-trained athletes. There may also be a slight effect where training more than 10 hours a week produces higher blood pressure, but this difference wasn't statistically significant.
Hypertension is the most common medical condition in athletes and may raise concerns about its management and the individual's eligibility for competitive sports.
Anxiety doesn't cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in blood pressure.
Why do fit and active people have high blood pressure? There are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to hypertension, for example, genetics, body composition and diet. There are almost always multiple factors at work. Some of these causes can't be prevented, like genetics and age.
The highs and lows
For a young, healthy adult, normal blood pressure is about 110/70, but generally, the lower your blood pressure is, the better. If you have a reading of 140/90 or more, you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
It's important to remember that high blood pressure is not usually a death sentence. As long as you're regularly working with your doctor on treatment and managing your blood pressure levels, you will likely live a long life. This includes making significant changes to your health and lifestyle for the better.
It does not rise as your fitness improves or if you exercise regularly, nor is it a sign that you are more fit than someone else if you have a higher max HR than they do. However, as discussed above, as your fitness level increases you will be able to maintain your max heart rate for longer periods of time.
If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, it is natural to wonder if you are going to have it for the rest of your life — or if there is something you can do to reverse it. In almost all cases, high blood pressure can be lowered to normal levels. For some, this requires medication.
And does dehydration cause high blood pressure? Drinking water can help normalize your blood pressure but doesn't necessarily lower your blood pressure unless you are dehydrated. Because your blood is made up of 90% water, the overall volume will decrease when you are dehydrated.
In other words, once blood pressure rises above normal, subtle but harmful brain changes can occur rather quickly—perhaps within a year or two. And those changes may be hard to reverse, even if blood pressure is nudged back into the normal range with treatment.
Your body's network of blood vessels, known as the vascular system, changes with age. Arteries get stiffer, causing blood pressure to go up.
What would you define as “too low,” and why is that a problem? A diastolic blood pressure of somewhere between 90 and 60 is good in older folks. Once you start getting below 60, that makes people feel uncomfortable. A lot of older folks with low diastolic pressures get tired or dizzy and have frequent falls.
Take it first in the morning before eating or taking any medications. Take it again in the evening. Each time you measure, take two or three readings to make sure your results are the same.
Some research suggests coffee can lower the risk for high blood pressure, also called hypertension, in people who don't already have it. But drinking too much coffee has been shown to raise blood pressure and lead to anxiety, heart palpitations and trouble sleeping.
Reactions to stress can affect blood pressure
The body releases a surge of hormones when under stress. These hormones cause the heart to beat faster and the blood vessels to narrow. These actions increase blood pressure for a time. There's no proof that stress by itself causes long-term high blood pressure.
What drink immediately lowers blood pressure? Beet juice is the best choice, as it can significantly lower blood pressure in about three hours. Consuming other beneficial drinks like tomato juice and pomegranate juice may not have immediate effects on blood pressure, but will work over a period of consistent use.
However, most studies show a greater risk of stroke and heart disease related to higher systolic pressures compared with elevated diastolic pressures. That's especially true in people ages 50 and older, which is why doctors tend to monitor the top number more closely.
Normal blood pressure: generally less than 120/80 mmHg that is, systolic blood pressure less than 120 and diastolic blood pressure less than 80 mmHg). Normal to high blood pressure: between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg. High blood pressure: 140/90 mmHg or higher.