What is Diastolic Pressure?
Diastolic pressure is the pressure within the blood vessels when the heart is at rest. Blood pressure is composed of two measurements: systolic (the top measurement) and diastolic (the lower measurement). The higher the numbers, the greater the pressure on your arteries. Your blood pressure reading is usually written as the systolic number over the diastolic number, such as “120 over 80.”
Diastolic pressure is one of the two components that make up your total blood pressure reading. Understanding diastolic pressure can help you better monitor and understand your overall cardiovascular health.
Why is Diastolic Pressure Important?
Diastolic pressure is the force that blood exerts against the walls of your blood vessels when the heart rests between heartbeats. A high diastolic pressure can indicate that your heart is having trouble relaxing between beats, which can mean that the arteries near your heart are becoming stiffer.
This can mean an increased risk for coronary heart disease and stroke. A high diastolic pressure is also a sign of pre-hypertension, which is an initial stage of high blood pressure. During pre-hypertension, your diastolic pressure is usually elevated.
What is Considered a Healthy Diastolic Pressure?
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a diastolic pressure of less than 90 mmHg for optimal cardiovascular health. A diastolic pressure between 90 to 99 mmHg is the AHA definition of pre-hypertension. Once your diastolic pressure has reached 100 mmHg or more, you have officially been diagnosed with hypertension or high blood pressure.
It is important to note that your diastolic pressure alone is not enough to accurately diagnose high blood pressure. The AHA says that both systolic and diastolic pressures must be consistently higher than the normal readings of 120 over 80 before diagnosing hypertension.
Conclusion
You can easily monitor your diastolic pressure at home using an at-home blood pressure monitoring kit. While diastolic pressure alone is not enough to accurately diagnose hypertension, it should be monitored regularly in order to understand your overall cardiovascular health. The AHA recommends a diastolic pressure below 90 mmHg for optimal health. When your diastolic pressure rises above that threshold, it may be time to take steps to better manage your heart health.