Two numbers indicate your blood pressure reading. The top number is your systolic pressure and the bottom number is your diastolic pressure. Your diastolic pressure indicates the force on the blood vessels when the heart is filling with blood, during its brief period of rest. A normal and healthy diastolic pressure should be under 90 millimeters of mercury, or mmHg. Exercise and recovery should elicit a certain response from your diastolic pressure.
Influences on Diastolic
The total peripheral resistance to blood flow around your body influences diastolic pressure. This term describes the total amount of force that opposes blood flow inside the body. During exercise, this amount decreases due to the vasodilation of blood vessels to working muscles.
During Exercise
Your diastolic pressure responds differently to various types of exercise. During aerobic physical activity, like jogging, diastolic pressure may not change at all and if it does, the change will be very small or may even decrease. However, because of the intensity of muscular contractions while weight lifting, diastolic pressure generally increases upon resistance training.
During Recovery
During recovery, even recovery from weight training, your diastolic pressure may decrease. This is primarily due to the change in blood flow that your body supplies to aid in recovery from exercise. After exercise, your muscles are still working to recover from the stress of exercise. Metabolism is up which means blood flow must remain higher. Dilation of the arteries to supply the muscles with extra blood keeps the diastolic pressure low.
Considerations
A rise in diastolic blood pressure upon or after exercise is an abnormal cardiovascular response. According to the website Sports Fitness Advisor, a rise in diastolic pressure greater than 15 mmHg during exercise may be a sign of an underlying cardiovascular disease. If your cardiovascular response to exercise is abnormal, consult with your doctor sooner rather than later. In addition, always gain medical clearance before starting any new exercise program, which can keep you exercising in a safe and effective manner.
References
- American Heart Association: Blood Pressure
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- University of New Mexico: Exercise and Resting BP; Len Kravitz, Ph.D.; 2000
- Sports-Fitness-Advisor: The Cardiovascular System and Exercise; Phil Davies, CSCS
