Healthy Blood Pressure Numbers

Your blood pressure measures the degree of force applied to the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. It also calculates the amount of blood that is pumped and the size and suppleness of the arteries. When you have high blood pressure (hypertension), you are at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. There is a normal or healthy blood pressure level to aim for and maintain.

Fluctuating Numbers

• Your blood pressure isn't a stagnant reading. It frequently fluctuates depending on your level of activity, posture, temperature and diet.

  Both your emotional and physical condition state and the use of certain medications can also have an impact on the numbers.

Blood Pressure Categories

• When you have your blood pressure taken, you may not know what the numbers mean.

  There are four basic categories of blood pressure readings that range from normal or healthy to stage 2 hypertension (high blood pressure).

  The level of your blood pressure dictates what if any treatment you may need to get it under control.

Two Numbers to Consider

• Your blood pressure levels consist of two numbers.

  The top number signifies the maximum pressure used when the heart contracts.

  The bottom number corresponds to the minimum pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed.

Healthy Blood Pressure Levels

• According to the National Institute of Health the ideal top number (systolic) should be under 120.

  The bottom number (diastolic pressure) should be less than 80.

  At this optimum range, the Mayo Clinic says the best thing to do is to maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent high blood pressure from developing.

Check Your Blood Pressure Regularly

• A single blood pressure reading is not enough to get an accurate assessment. Your doctor should average the findings of at least two blood pressure readings that are taken while you are sitting down.

  Repeated measurements are essential since one normal reading does not guarantee that you don't have high blood pressure.

  Free blood pressure machines are often found in grocery stores and drugstores. However the results are not as accurate because the machines aren't often calibrated.

White Coat Hypertension

• The NIH says home blood pressure readings can sometimes be a more accurate measurement than those taken at your doctor's office. That's because people tend to become anxious in a clinical setting and have abnormally high readings. This situational anxiety is referred to as white coat hypertension.

Testing Frequency

• The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends that adults who routinely have normal blood pressure (less than 120/80) be tested for high blood pressure every other year.