What Is Normal Blood Pressure?
Why Does Anorexia Cause Low Blood Pressure Symptoms?

What is normal blood pressure? Anorexia can cause low blood pressure symptoms, and erratic blood pressure readings. Learn how to take blood pressure and find out what those numbers mean. Knowing this information could help you assess if a disordered eater's health is in danger.

By measuring the force and amount of blood that's being pumped through the body, and factoring in the size and flexibility of the arteries, we are able to determine our individual blood pressure.

There are various methods to accomplish this, none of which means that we need to run for our calculators.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the two little numbers that you see when you look at a blood pressure readings scale, or blood pressure chart. You know -- the thing that looks like a fraction from math class.

The question is, how many of us know what those two numbers represent?

Systolic Blood Pressure is the the top number. This signifies the highest amount of force on the arteries when the heart pumps.

Diastolic Blood Pressure is the bottom number. It represents how much pressure is being exerted while your heart is at rest.

How To Take Blood Pressure - How Is Blood Pressure Measured?

Have you ever wondered how to take blood pressure, or blood pressure is measured? We all know that there's a stethoscope and a cuff involved, but the actual name of the instrument is called a sphygmomanometer.

When the health care provider places the cuff and stethoscope on your arm, he/she is listening for the sound of blood pulsating through your arteries as the cuff deflates. This is recorded as the systolic blood pressure mentioned above.

When the sound is no longer audible, the second number is taken for the diastolic blood pressure, which references when your heart is at rest.

Normal blood pressure level is measured in units called millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). So in your medical documents, you might see something like, "120/80 mm Hg".

Most physicians prefer to measure blood pressure while your are sitting down, arm slightly bent, and positioned at roughly the same level as your heart.

While in treatment for anorexia, they had us lie down for several minutes and then stand up so they could take our BP again. Sometimes I would feel dizziness or "head rush". This is usually the result of a sudden drop in blood pressure, which can be very dangerous.

You should be proud of yourself -- you've just learned how to measure blood pressure!

What Is Normal Blood Pressure? - Blood Pressure Ranges

This is great, but you're probably still asking, "What is normal blood pressure?". Generally speaking, doctors prefer to see it a little lower than the number mentioned above (120/80 mm Hg) in most cases.

Again, this is a rough estimate because pressure can vary with age, medical conditions, and also between men and women.

People with anorexia or bulimia tend to experience low blood pressure symptoms, a condition called hypotension. In healthy individuals, blood flows naturally and easily, but in anorexics and bulimics, the heart becomes too weak to pump forcefully enough.

In cases of binge eating disorder or bulimia, patients tend to experience high blood pressure symptoms, or hypertension.

The following is a chart of Blood Pressure Ranges that can be used as a basic guide:

Rating	Systolic	Diastolic
Ideal Blood Pressure	< 120	< 80
Normal	< 130	< 85
High Range Of Normal	130 - 139	85 - 89
Stage 1 Hypertension	140 -159	90 - 99
Stage 2 Hypertension	160 - 179	100 - 109
Stage 3 Hypertension	> 179	> 109
Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)	< 90, or 25 mm Hg lower than usual

If this page has helped to answer your "What is normal blood pressure?" question, then feel free to read on about a closely related issue, low heart rate.

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