What A Blood Pressure Reading Of 106/63 Means And How To Maintain It

Understanding Blood Pressure Readings Like 106/63

Blood pressure measurements, like the reading 106/63, can be confusing to interpret. But knowing what these numbers mean is important for maintaining cardiovascular health. Over 100 million Americans have high blood pressure, which significantly raises risks for stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.

What Do The Two Blood Pressure Numbers Mean?

Blood pressure readings consist of two numbers, like 106/63. The top number is your systolic pressure, which measures pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, measuring pressure between heartbeats when the heart is at rest. Normal blood pressure is less than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic.

Is a Blood Pressure of 106/63 Good?

Yes, a reading of 106/63 is within the ideal blood pressure range. According to most up-to-date guidelines, any systolic pressure less than 120 and diastolic pressure less than 80 qualifies as normal. So at 106/63, your blood pressure indicates your heart is pumping efficiently and your arteries remain clear of plaque buildup.

What Does It Mean If My Systolic Pressure Is Low?

While a systolic reading around 106 is healthy for most adults, for some people that top number may dip too low. This can cause symptoms like:

• Dizziness upon standing due to inadequate bloodflow to the brain
• Fainting or syncope
• Fatigue and weakness
• Blurred vision
• Nausea
• Falls related to dizziness

Systolic pressure lower than 90 may signify underlying issues like heart conditions, dehydration, or certain medications in sensitive people. Consulting your doctor helps determine if your dip in pressure warrants intervention.

Measuring Blood Pressure Accurately

Since blood pressure can fluctuate significantly and varies between the left and right arm, doctors rely on strict standards to obtain accurate readings.

Proper blood pressure measurement methodology includes:

• Avoiding caffeine, smoking, and exercise for 30 minutes prior
• Emptiying your bladder beforehand
• Sitting quietly for 5 minutes with feet flat and back supported prior to reading
• Using a correctly calibrated, recently serviced blood pressure device
• Taking readings on bare skin rather than over clothing
• Having your arm properly supported with the blood pressure cuff at heart level
• Using the right size cuff to fit your arm
• Taking 2-3 readings spaced 1-2 minutes apart to determine average

Following these blood pressure measurement standards helps ensure your readings like 106/63 accurately reflect your current cardiovascular status.

Achieving Ideal Blood Pressure Through Lifestyle Changes

Your blood pressure offers a window into heart health. By maintaining good lifestyle habits, you can often keep readings in the healthy range without medication.

Losing Extra Weight

Excess weight strains the heart, and shedding as little as 10 lbs can lower elevated blood pressure. Focus on permanent lifestyle changes like eating more vegetables, fruits and whole grains while reducing salt, sugar, and refined carbohydrates. Even without hitting an ideal weight, dropping some pounds can rapidly improve blood pressure.

Increasing Physical Activity

Adding regular aerobic exercise and strength training causes blood vessels to dilate and decreases pressure. Just 75-150 minutes per week of moderate activity like brisk walking makes a significant difference. Tracking activity with fitness watches helps maintain consistency.

Restricting Alcohol and Quitting Smoking

Alcohol directly raises blood pressure while smoking damages blood vessels. Limiting alcohol to no more than 1 drink daily for women and 2 for men allows for heart healthy consumption. And completely avoiding tobacco products remains essential for cardiovascular wellness.

Trying Stress-Reduction Techniques

Chronic stress exposure activates the sympathetic nervous system, constricting blood vessels and raising pressure. Configuring daily quiet time for meditation, guided imagery, breathwork and progressive muscle relaxation helps initiate the bodys relaxation response.

Improving Sleep Habits

Poor sleep increases the stress hormone cortisol and activates inflammatory pathways, both detrimental to vascular health. Focus on sufficient sleep duration and quality through earlier bedtimes, screen reduction, blackout curtains, sleep aids and CPAP machines for suspected sleep apnea after testing.

By combining lifestyle measures like these, most people can achieve and maintain healthy blood pressure around 106/63 long term without medication.

Using Medications Appropriately for High Blood Pressure Management

When lifestyle therapies cannot bring blood pressure into a healthy range, medications remain integral for lowering risks of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.

Types of Medications Used for High Blood Pressure

Many safe, effective oral prescription medications lower blood pressure through different mechanisms, including:

• Diuretics - increase urine output to reduce fluid volume
• ACE inhibitors - relax blood vessels to improve blood flow
• ARBs - block a hormone causing vessel constriction
• CCBs - prevent calcium entry into vascular cells to suppress constriction
• Beta blockers - reduce heart rate and diminish force of contraction

Due to variable responses, finding the optimal single or combination therapy tailored for each patient remains essential. Frequently monitoring home blood pressure helps determine efficacy.

Importance of Continuing Medications Long Term

High blood pressure rarely causes obvious symptoms, even when readings reach dangerously high levels. For this reason, patients often stop taking their medications once numbers normalize. However, maintaining therapy remains critical - discontinuing drugs generally leads blood pressure to revert back to unhealthy elevations again.

Through combining lifestyle strategies supplemented with medications as needed, people can effectively reduce risks and promote longevity at blood pressures around 106/63.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.