Moppy1
New member
After reading a couple different posts today I think this is timely. All the misconceptions about blood pressure here is making me nuts. Blood pressure is given in systolic (higher number) and diastolic values (lower number) as mmHg. A normal systolic value for a dude is about 120, while diastolic should be around 80. Most dudes only report or consider their systolic reading, as do some really bad doctors, but this value is basically meaningless and can change moment to moment. The diastolic reading (the lower one) is really the only important one. After walking up stairs your systolic reading can easily go over 150. Heavy weight lifting can push it over 300! A big salt load in your diet can also push the systolic level up temporarily. Any type of fear response in the Drs office will dramatically change your systolic BP value. You need to have your BP checked at least 10x in different settings (at home, at work, etc) and in different positions (sitting, laying down, standing). Even with all this, only the diastolic reading really matters, which is the passive stiffness in your vessels. I would never go on high blood pressure meds unless you were damn certain that you diastolic value was consistently elevated above 95 mmHg, measured 10x at different times of the day, in different positions, and in different places.
