What Is the Normal Blood Pressure Range? 

 
First of all, normal blood pressure range varies somewhat from one individual to another. A highly conditioned athlete, for instance, will have a different blood pressure range from someone who is generally healthy but less active.

Unfortunately, a lot of people have high blood pressure or hypertension because they don't know what's "normal" for them. Since high blood pressure symptoms often go undetected, you can experience significant damage to your health before you ever realize there's trouble.

To understand what normal blood pressure range is, you need to understand some basic facts about what blood pressure is, and why it's important.

Basically, a blood pressure reading is a measurement of the force the heart exerts to push blood throughout the circulatory system.

This amount of force varies from person to person, and also changes depending on what activity you're doing at any given time. Any activity or circumstance (like stress) that increases heart rate also increases blood pressure.

When you're under no stress and at rest, your blood pressure will be lower.

It's also important to understand the numbers that are used to describe blood pressure.

"Systolic" is the first, or top number. It measure the force exerted by the heart at maximum exertion or during a "beat."

"Diastolic" is the second or bottom number. It measures the force between beats, when the heart is "at rest."

A healthy adult usually has a resting blood pressure reading between 90/60 and 120/80. But once again, the definition of "normal" varies from person to person.

In all cases though, a systolic reading of 140 or above is considered to be in the "high" range.

A person with high blood pressure is at risk for heart and blood vessel problems, kidney problems, and even eye damage or loss of vision.

Someone with low blood pressure may be subject to dizziness and fainting spells, which can lead to falls or even blackouts while driving.

It's best to monitor your blood pressure over a fairly long period of time to determine what "normal" means for you. By doing so, you'll be able to tell quickly if your blood pressure is too high or too low, and you can talk to your doctor about it.