Pulse Pressure

Another figure you can obtain from the blood pressure is called pulse pressure. This is not the same as pulse rate. Let’s use the example of a blood pressure of 120/80. The pulse pressure is obtained simply by subtracting the diastolic (80) from the systolic (120). In this case, it is 40. The pulse pressure is a general measure of the relaxation of the muscular walls of the arteries. A good, healthy range for athletes is about 30 to 50. The pulse pressure can be calculated in any position, but it’s best analyzed sitting. In the standing position there is more stress in the form of gravity, so the pulse pressure will naturally be a little higher. In the lying position, the body is more at rest and the pulse pressure is normally a little lower.

If your pulse pressure is too high, it indicates the arteries aren’t relaxing as much as they should. It’s like working seven days a week: the body never gets a break. In this situation, the sympathetic nervous system may be too active, and other tests will usually correlate, such as heart-rate variability (HRV). In other situations, it may be that you’re taxing your tired adrenals with too much caffeine or overtraining.

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You could have a very high pulse pressure and still have a seemingly normal blood pressure. For example, a blood pressure of 130/60 may sound good to most people, but if you figure the pulse pressure is 70, you can see that there may be a problem, indicating that the muscles in your arteries are not relaxing like they should, with increased tension in the cardiovascular system.

What if your blood pressure is consistently around 140/90? Some might say this is hypertension. However, if you look at the pulse pressure, you can see that the body has compensated well with a normal pulse pressure of 50. In this situation, everything may be fine depending on all other health factors.

A low pulse pressure often indicates a slow metabolism with poor circulation. The cells aren’t getting enough nutrients, including oxygen. This may be seen in a blood pressure of 100/80 or 90/65. When the circulation is sluggish, the person often complains about feeling sluggish.

The body can compensate for a slightly higher blood pressure if the pulse pressure is normal, and seemingly normal blood pressure may be a problem if the pulse pressure is too high or too low. With age, as your arteries tend to narrow, the normal range of pulse pressure increases. This is also true in athletes.