curious? normal BP/pulse

[Soundguy]

Had never though about it till my doc noted that i had a high reading when taken in her office. i explained that i don't care for DR visits much.. and the pumper gets going pretty good.

Anyway.. i decided to get one of them nifty automated checkers.. so now I check 2-3 times a day.. about 5 days a week, and jot my numbers down.. so far the 'average on the machine shows 116 / 79 -78bpm

A couple years ago i had a cousing going to nursing school, so for a year she built up her skill doing pulse/BP ... and I always recall being in the 120/80 - 75-85bpm range.

What's the 'norm'?

Soundguy

 

[scott_vt]

... and I always recall being in the 120/80 - 75-85bpm range.

What's the 'norm'?

Soundguy

Afternoon Chris,
Well thats the reccomended norm ! On most days for me if I take my medication I can get those kind of numbers also ! Actually on the bpm mines a bit slower, or was slower years ago.

 

[hazmat]

you're on the edge of normal for BP

Blood pressure normal? Maybe now it isn’t.

midline for pulse MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Pulse

 

[Soundguy]

Wow.. edge of normal... could be worse i guess.. could be over the edge..

Hmm... I already lost 30# last year.. and am keeping it off.. and already do the fruit/vegi thing pretty darn good. And exercise? I wonder if farming counts.

not much more i can do.... guess I'll just keep monitoring it..

thanks for the links guys.. they were a good read.. ( almost alarming too! )

Soundguy

 

[dmccarty]

TBN is something else...

I was just downstairs in our building and for the first time in YEARS took my blood pressure and weight on one of them fancy machines.

I was not happy with the BP reading. I was at the high end of Normal crossing into the bad zone. Usually I have been like 115-120/60-70. This time in the 120s and 80s!

How accurate/error prone are these machines? The one I used is newer than the one I used years ago.

I need a check up so I guess I should go. The nurses/docs have not said anything to me over the last few years when they took my BP in the office.

Later,
Dan

 

[Soundguy]

It sounds like 120 over 80 is still at the edge of normal... maybee cut some sodium and get 10 more min exercise a couple times a week??

good luck

Soundguy

 

[ToadHill]

Acceptable bp seems to be like acceptable blood sugar level, an ever changing
number. When my Dr. told me my blood sugar level was too high, he also told me that several years ago I'd have been in the normal range.

 

[randy41]

for years i went to the same doctor for my annual bus driver physical and my blood pressure was always a bit in the high range. that doctor quit doing the bus physicals and i went to a different doctor this time and my blood pressure was clearly in the acceptable range.
maybe those machines are the way to go.

 

[DocHeb]

The standard for measurement of blood pressure is to take it in the left arm after sitting for 5 minutes. Three measurements are taken two minutes apart and the three systolic (top) numbers are averaged, and the three diastolic (bottom) numbers are averaged.

The cuff must be the proper size, fitting between the gauge lines on the cuff.

There are varying numbers for "pre-hypertension" and different stages of hypertension, but 120/80 is an easy number to remember for the "edge of normal."

 

[riptides]

You know everyone has their own "normal". The figures given are for the average Joe/Joette. Only a qualified physician that knows your health history and life habits could make a qualified diag for what is "normal" for a person.

-Mike Z.

 

[scott_vt]

Hey soundy ,And just to top it off i have an enlarged prostate ....Fantastic ...At 31.

Mornin D7E,
I thought only us old guys had that problem ! If theres a plus I get up just intime to feed the woodstove in the middle of the night !

 

[RobertN]

Just an FYI, at the Fire Station we'll check BP too for walk in's. Most Fire Companies will do this(at least at staffed stations...)

Anyway.. i decided to get one of them nifty automated checkers.. so now I check 2-3 times a day.. about 5 days a week, and jot my numbers down.. so far the 'average on the machine shows 116 / 79 -78bpm

A couple years ago i had a cousing going to nursing school, so for a year she built up her skill doing pulse/BP ... and I always recall being in the 120/80 - 75-85bpm range.

Soundguy

 

[N80]

The normal BP range is indeed a moving target. But it is not just an average of the general population anymore. The most recent recommendations come from studying very large groups of people and seeing what happens to them over time (years). What has been discovered is a linear correlation between BP and risk. In other words, the lower the BP, the lower the risk. Of course that is only true down to the point at which the BP is so low that it causes problems. This varies from person to person. A skinny 15 year old girl might tolerate a BP as low as 90/50 whereas most of us 40+ year olds would be a bit lightheaded. In any case, the most recent recommendations have called into question the 'norm' of 120/80 because those in these big cohort studies with BP lower than that had correspondingly lower rates of heart attack and stroke.

 

[RSKY]

Up till two years ago my blood pressure was always on the low side. About 120/65. Suddenly the first of 2006 it shot up to 150/105. The nurses were I worked were very concerned. I visited my family doctor's office and he was not there but the nurse practicioner looked over my records and was also concerned. She put me on some mild medicine and told me to try to think if there was anything different I was eating, drinking, or doing. To make a long story short for various reasons I had taken over the coffee fund at work and had started making a twenty cup percolator full before each break. So I was drinking four or five cups of coffee a day instead of one. I eased off the coffee and Mountain Dew. Started bringing bottles of water to work. And slowly over a six month period my BP lowered to 120/80. I am now breaking the BP pills in half each day and when this bottle is finished I will stop taking them altogether.

So if your blood pressure is high start drinking decaf or at least half caf coffee and cut back on the soft drinks. Also stop covering everything in salt. Then you might get off the pills. I did.

RSKY

 

[Soundguy]

I normally drink a bit of decaf.. but a few times a week i DO have a starbucks coffee. I drink some soda and some tea.. have now switched to decaf tea, and am buying the 0sodium/0 caff sodas.. and drinking a bit more water. Also trying to use a bit less salt. In the last week my lower number has been in the 70-78 range.. and the top number in the 105-132 range.. pulse between 60 and 86

I figure it's not great.. but not dismal either.

I'm quite active, and at a good weight

Soundguy

 

[N80]

So if your blood pressure is high start drinking decaf or at least half caf coffee and cut back on the soft drinks. Also stop covering everything in salt. Then you might get off the pills. I did.

RSKY

You can't argue with success, but I don't think there is any evidence linking caffeine to high blood pressure. Again, if it worked for you that is great since lifestyle modification is the best way to control your BP. But, it is unlikely that others will share your success simply by coming off of caffeine.

Decreasing salt intake has been proven to help though.

 

[Egon]

Tomatoes and no salt is a bummer, believe me!