hello I am interested / curious in seeking others views on what constitutes “normal” blood pressure reading?
I ask because I have noted conflicting views:
1. GP health assistant said 130’s for systolic is normal / acceptable
2. Cardiologist said 140’s uncontrolled
3. Pharmacist said 140’s ok but 120’s is low.
I’ve used the following (see near bottom of page per link) which tends to confers I think with the cardiologist view. It’s my go to reference/ checker. Of course there are many variables at play like when where and how BP is taken.
When I lived in Harrow, I was told 130 is acceptable. But now I have moved to deepest rural Essex the suggestion is 140 is perfectly ok.
I think we can go overboard. I just take a reading every few days. Say twice a week. My GP says he only wants to be informed of the lowest readings, not the highest.
My BP was over 200 when I was due to have a cataract operation. But it still went ahead.
Due to having stupidly high blood pressure for a while the left ventricle of my heart thickened in a condition known as left ventricular hypertrohy (lvh). It increases my risk for all kinds of heart events plus strokes.The main way to control it's progression is to keep my blood pressure low (under 120/80) so that's what I want to do. So for me 120/80 is normal.
the numbers are only guides and will vary on other conditions, your age/weight etc to determine what’s best for you.
120/80 is the standard roll out of a good level, but I’m told 130/90 is ok, and only when you are getting consistent above 140/100 should I be getting back in touch with my cardiologist. And you really shouldn’t seek a&e unless your in the above 180/110 level. But again all rough guides and need to be used alongside other symptoms.
I take Losartan once a day and my cardiologist is happy if I’m 130/90 or below
I've always been told that the perfect figure is 120/80. Under 100 systolic is a problem and 140/90 upwards is not good. My last reading at the doctor's was 108/56 and he didn't worry about it.
What is normal ? I have just taken my BP and it was 109/54....with the irregular heartbeat sign showing this has been going on since May , they said my BP was low and ended up stopping all my BP meds in an effort to get it up again...guess what ? two weeks ago my BP was 180/92 so back on BP meds it seems like a neverending story.
I am the same! After an operation my BP was consistently very low so I stopped the amlodipine. My BP crept up and my GP said to start the medication again, which I did. Now I find it low again so once more I stopped the amlodipine. Taking regular BP readings is showing a pattern of low in the morning, raising in the evening?at night. It is certainly a juggling act!!
Hi, I have LV dys. and with medication my BP is around 110/58 but so many things can affect even fluids and temperature, in the hot weather it was dropping to the 90,s, I would like it to be around 120/60 my age is 76
I've had a similar experience but the general consensus 'seems' to be that 120/60 is now considered the optimum for all age groups. I'm using that as my yardstick until advised otherwise!!
My blood pressure used to be a little high, typically around 130/85, although I didn't measure it frequently. Around the time I had my heart attack it was around 160/110.
Over two years on from that and my BP is now around 105/75 unmedicated. This has been achieved via numerous lifestyle changes.
I hadn’t thought about age as a factor, geography aside😊 maybe that’s what the cardiologist takes into accounts as Pharmacist would know little about me and GP not engaging with heart issues😒
As has already been said, many variables are in play here. I'm on Bisoprolol Beta-Blocker 5+1.25 mg, amongst other medications, having had a heart failure and consistent AF. My BP varies from 99 Systolic to sometimes 160 Systolic, although normally it hovers between 135-145. Bisoprolol does effect the BP, in that it can sometimes incapacitate me with extremely low BP for quite a while, so much so that even a slight body movement makes me dizzy, let alone a visit to the loo which would be well nigh impossible without the help of OH.
The variables:
My diet is quite simple, but any variation in the diet affects the AF, and BP goes haywire. Obviously there's a direct correlation between what the heart is doing and ones BP.
I try to walk if I can, weather and body permitting. Again any attempt to brisk walk could bring about an adverse Heart/BP combination.
Sleep is another issue, and the medications do not help at all. Less than 7-8 hours sleep, and Heart/BP come back into play.
I haven’t really understood my BPs behaviour and what might trigger especially in relation to food. I do struggle with sleep as well. I don’t want to bec9me obsessed with measuring but I want to work this out as meds not helping or not as much as I’d like. Thanks for the insight.
A few things I might suggest without sounding patronising
I use an Air Fryer, more for its health benefits than savings on energy. Almost no oil or a bare minimum is need to cook the food. Chunky Fish Fingers and Straight cut Chips take 14 minutes, with just a squirt of olive oil.
As for walk and sleep. A smart watch has helped me tremendously. The health insight and benefits that this contraption has provided, outweigh the initial outlay by a country mile. My daily walk, sleep pattern, exercise count, calorie count, nagging to stand up if sedentary for more than an hour etc etc. And I have just scratched the surface here.
Medication helps to some degree and for a finite amount of time. That was my question to the consultant, that for how long? Eventually some thing will give. Either medications dosage will have to increase or another procedure.
not patronising at all, thank you for the advice and tips, I have a smart watch but not using to its full extent. I’ll look into air fryers, but there is plenty I need to look into re changes. Thanks
It varies according to age and doctors seem to keep changing their minds. For 20 years or so mine was always in the 120/70 range then suddenly, when I reached 75 and after a HA and had strangely low diastolic readings dropping into the 50s , my GP was more than happy with it in the 130/80s although he wasn't remotely interested in the diastolic. I'm not on any medication for it. That NHS chart says 120/70 is the top limit of normal. Mine's never been below 120.
That is the thing. They seem to be least concerned about low diastolic, although trawling the web, it seems that the low diastolic is as much, if not more, serious a concern as a high systolic. My diastolic does get quite low sometimes in tandem with systolic , going in the 60s, though 50 is quite low.
My systolic was ok but the diastolic was dropping below 60 down as far as 52 but GP wasn't interested. It was after I had stopped taking a diuretic. It's settled down to normal now but I felt rotten when it went so low; just really tired. I've also read what you've read about it.
I read your post earlier before work and laughed and now laughed again at your description of your health assistant, that must have had a good impact on my BP! Yes it’s confusing, I am sticking with the cardiologist on the basis they are treating me at present and know my circumstances. GP I saw previously not helpful. But noting advice on other things to do to control. Thanks
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