What should diastolic blood pressure be during exercise?
John Peck
Updated on March 30, 2026
Your diastolic pressure, between heartbeats, should not change significantly. Normal blood pressure is around 120/80 mmHg. It may rise to 140/90 after aerobic exercise such as running or swimming, though this is a ballpark figure as blood pressure varies a great deal from one person to another.
Does diastolic blood pressure increase during exercise?
Your blood pressure doesn’t change during exercise. Your systolic pressure (top number) surpasses 200 mm Hg during or after exercise. Your diastolic pressure (bottom number) changes significantly during exercise.
What does a diastolic over 100 mean?
When the bottom number of blood pressure (diastole) is over 100 mmHg, it may be called diastolic hypertension (DHT). The normal range of diastolic pressure should be 60 to 80 mmHg in adults. Anything above this is considered abnormal (hypertension).
Does diastolic pressure increase with aerobic exercise?
During cardiovascular exercise, for example, systolic pressure can increase to values close to and over 200 with higher levels of effort. Diastolic pressure, on the other hand, is a relatively stable value during exercise and under daily activity….What is blood pressure.
| Systolic | Diastolic | |
|---|---|---|
| Hypertensive | 140> | 90> |
How does exercise affect pulse pressure?
During exercise, the cardiac output increases more than the total resistance decreases, so the mean arterial pressure usually increases by a small amount. Pulse pressure, in contrast, markedly increases because of an increase in both stroke volume and the speed at which the stroke volume is ejected.
Why does my diastolic pressure go down when I exercise?
The slight decrease in diastolic blood pressure is due primarily to the vasodilation of the arteries from the exercise bout. Thus, the expansion in artery size may lower blood pressure during the diastolic phase.
Why does my diastolic blood pressure go up after exercise?
An increase in diastolic blood pressure during exercise could therefore result from an inappropriately high cardiac output or impaired vasodilation of resistance vessels within skeletal musculature.
Why would diastolic pressure be high?
With hypertension, typically both systolic and diastolic blood pressures are elevated. However, isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH) occurs when your systolic blood pressure is normal, and only your diastolic blood pressure is high (over 80 mm Hg).
Should diastolic blood pressure increase or decrease during exercise?
Diastolic blood pressure should stay the same or drop during exercise. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure on your artery walls between heartbeats.
Is it normal for systolic blood pressure to be 220 during exercise?
It is normal for systolic blood pressure to range between 160 and 220 during exercise. The diastolic blood pressure, or the bottom number, typically does not change during exercise.
What should I do if my diastolic is over 100?
Diastolic pressure measures the force against artery walls in between contractions. If your diastolic blood pressure increases during exercise by more than 20 mm Hg or becomes greater than 100 mm Hg, stop exercising and consult your doctor. Include a cool down period post exercise to avoid sharp drops in blood pressure.
What is the normal range of exercise for high blood pressure?
Exercise During Hypertension. Normal blood pressure is no higher than 120/80 mmHg. If you have elevated blood pressure, your doctor may recommend you start a program of regular aerobic exercise, such as walking or bicycling.
