Blood pressure and pulse rate (heart rate) can fluctuate with age due to a variety of reasons such as changes in cardiovascular health, physical condition, and lifestyle behaviors.
Systolic blood pressure rises with age in general. This is mostly due to the fact that blood arteries become less elastic with age, and the heart may pump less efficiently.
Many people over the age of 50 have higher systolic blood pressure than they did when they were younger.
Diastolic blood pressure may rise until approximately the age of 50, when it tends to level off or even fall.
This is attributed in part to a decrease in artery stiffness. After the age of 60, diastolic blood pressure may begin to fall.
Age is an important risk factor for hypertension (high blood pressure). Hypertension is more common in older persons and can lead to a variety of health problems.
With aging, the resting heart rate tends to drop. The resting heart rate of a baby is higher than that of a child, who is higher than that of an adult.
This decline is mostly due to changes in the heart's electrical circuitry. Heart Rate Maximum:
The formula 220 - age is used to calculate maximum heart rate, which is the fastest your heart can beat during physical exercise.
Maximum heart rate declines with age, according to this formula. However, keep in mind that this is only a general estimate, and individual variances can be large.