Heart Rate and Blood Pressure: What’s the Difference?

Your heart rate, also known as your pulse, refers to the number of times your heart beats per minute. Your blood pressure, on the other hand, is a measure of how forcefully your blood flows through your veins. If you think these two measures are the same, you’re not alone. But you’re not correct, either.

Heart rate and blood pressure are two of four measurements of essential body functions that help assess a person’s general health and give clues to possible diseases. The other two are body temperature and respiratory rate. We are familiar with body temperature, since it is often measured at home to check for infection. Respiratory rate refers to the number of breaths a person takes every minute.

Heart rate and blood pressure, the other two of the “vital signs,” may sound like they’re measuring the same function, but not only are they different, they’re not even directly related to one another. As heart rate speeds up, blood pressure may stay the same, since healthy blood vessels will dilate to allow more blood to flow through them. In fact, it is possible for your heart rate to double while your blood pressure hardly changes at all.

Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

Heart rate refers to the speed of your heartbeat; blood pressure refers to the amount of pressure your blood exerts against the walls of your arteries. What does that difference mean for your health?

Heart Rate

A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM) in adults. In general, a low heart rate is a good thing, since it means that your heart is working efficiently. A high heart rate, on the other hand, almost always suggests that your heart is overworking, and is a associated with several health conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is expressed as two numbers. The systolic pressure (the first number) measures how forcefully the blood flows through the arteries during a heartbeat. The diastolic pressure (the second number) measures the pressure while the heart relaxes, between heartbeats. Normal blood pressure in adults is 120/80 mmHg.

Blood pressure is considered “high” (hypertension) if it is above 130/80, with blood pressure above 180/120 considered severe hypertension. Hypertension is the most dangerous health condition in the United States today, accounting for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure, as well as metabolic syndrome, which makes a person more likely to develop diabetes. High blood pressure has even been implicated as a cause of dementia.

Low blood pressure, on the other hand, is not considered dangerous unless it is symptomatic. Symptoms of low blood pressure (hypotension) include dizziness, fainting, and blurry vision.

At Atlantic Coast Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, in Lakewood, NJ, we are uniquely qualified to care for the needs of seniors. Moreover, we are experts in the multidisciplinary approach to cardiac rehabilitation. Our doctors, nurses, therapists, counselors, dietitians, and nutritionists work together with the patient’s personal doctor to tailor a plan that will return them to their best possible health.

Our modern nursing home and rehab center, situated on beautifully landscaped grounds, provides the comfortable and pleasant living experience that is essential to ensuring optimal clinical outcomes. We have strived to create an environment and program that truly enhances quality of life, thus promoting recuperation, health, and well-being.

Our facility features spacious living spaces that are impeccably decorated and furnished. Our residents are pampered with the finest amenities, including free WIFI, flat screen cable television and state-of-the-art mechanical beds for individualized comfort.

Our master chef and the entire staff of culinary experts prepare delicious meals to please even the most discerning palates. Our meals are not only delicious, they are also elegantly served, using fine china and utensils. In addition, we have a registered dietician to supervise the process to ensure that all meals conform to the individual dietary restrictions and requirements for every resident.

At Atlantic Coast, our goal is to offer recreational activities that stimulate both mind and body. We fashion each day’s recreation schedule with the primary purpose of encouraging social interaction and promoting physical health and fitness. To accommodate different interests and personal preferences, our Activities Director designs flexible schedules, with a variety of stimulating and engaging activity options.

Atlantic Coast is conveniently located in scenic Lakewood, NJ, close to major medical centers and just minutes from area highways.

Read our reviews on senioradvisor.com, caring.com, and wellness.com to hear what our residents and their families have to say.

Or better yet, come see for yourself: Contact us to schedule a tour by calling 732-364-7100, or by clicking here.