pulse and relation to bp - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

evelyn1 · 04-08-2005, 11:21 AM

OK, if the pulse goes up when the bp comes down, and vice versa, is that such a good thing? It seems to me it would be just as bad to have a high pulse as a high bp. my pulse is higher when bp is down, and other people tell me they have the same experience.

Editor · 04-08-2005, 08:45 PM

Hi Evelyn,

From what I have read, your body tries to maintain a constant BP as much as possible. WHen it drops too low, your heart rate will increase and vica versa. Whether or not this is good? Who knows, but that seems to be the way the body is designed.

Regards, Brenden.

zuzu8 · 04-09-2005, 04:50 AM

Evelyn-

To elaborate more on what Brenden posted (risking boring you with with waaay too much information!), the body has several compensatory mechanisms that control blood pressure. One mechanism is the amount of blood pumped from the heart (cardiac output). This is reflected in your heart rate.

These compensatory mechanisms are activated by cells that act as sensors, located in the arteries. They're called called baroreceptors and they constantly monitor blood pressure.

Basically you've got your own personal BP monitor built right in!

When these sensors detect a change in blood pressure, they trigger a change in one of the compensatory mechanisms in order to maintain a steady blood pressure.

SO...often, when your BP lowers, the sensors signal the heart to change the rate and force of heartbeats..... e.g to beat faster.

So your built in sensors are actually telling your heart to "correct" your blood pressure!

zuzu xx

rigel434 · 04-11-2005, 08:14 AM

Well, there are plenty of athletes out there with pulse rates around 55 who have very low bp. Guess it just depends on the person. With me, a faster pulse rate generally means I'm nervous which generally means my bp will be up. When I'm relaxed and haven't had a big meal recently, my pulse is between 55 and 60 bpm and my pressure is usually ok in those circumstances.

mrmojo · 04-11-2005, 09:03 AM

when any BP med i have tried actually worked, i noticed that my pulse was up (over 100, sometimes as high as 120) when my bp was down, especially with benicar, when my pulse was "normal" for me (80ish) my BP was high