A blood pressure of 106/75 mmHg is a good reading. It falls squarely in the “normal” category under the latest 2025 guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, which define normal blood pressure as below 120/80 mmHg. Both your systolic number (106) and your diastolic number (75) are comfortably within that range.
Where 106/75 Falls on the Scale
The current guidelines break adult blood pressure into four categories:
- Normal: below 120 systolic and below 80 diastolic
- Elevated: 120 to 129 systolic with diastolic still below 80
- Stage 1 hypertension: 130 to 139 systolic or 80 to 89 diastolic
- Stage 2 hypertension: 140 or higher systolic, or 90 or higher diastolic
At 106/75, you’re 14 points below the threshold for elevated blood pressure on the systolic side and 5 points below on the diastolic side. That’s a healthy margin.
On the other end of the spectrum, blood pressure is generally considered too low (hypotensive) when it drops below 90/60 mmHg. Your reading sits well above that floor, so it’s not in low blood pressure territory either.
What Your Diastolic Number Tells You
The bottom number in a blood pressure reading reflects the pressure in your arteries between heartbeats, when your heart is relaxing and refilling. A diastolic reading of 75 is in a particularly favorable zone. Research on older women published in the American Journal of Hypertension found that diastolic levels between 68 and 77 mmHg were associated with the lowest mortality risk, with the ideal point landing around 72 mmHg. Your 75 sits right in that sweet spot.
Your Pulse Pressure Looks Healthy Too
Pulse pressure is the gap between your top and bottom numbers. In your case, it’s 31 mmHg (106 minus 75). This number matters because it reflects how flexible your arteries are. A wide pulse pressure, typically above 60, can signal stiff arteries and a heart that’s working harder than it should, raising the risk of heart attack or stroke. A very narrow pulse pressure, roughly one-quarter or less of the systolic number, can suggest the heart isn’t pumping enough blood.
For a systolic pressure of 106, one-quarter would be about 27 mmHg. Your pulse pressure of 31 clears that threshold, so it’s neither too wide nor too narrow.
How Age and Sex Affect the Picture
Blood pressure naturally rises with age as arteries lose some of their elasticity. A reading of 106/75 is common in younger adults, teenagers, and physically active people. For reference, the average blood pressure for a 14-year-old boy at the 50th percentile of height is about 106/60, and for a 14-year-old girl it’s about 106/63. By age 17, boys average around 114/65 and girls around 108/64.
If you’re an older adult with a reading of 106/75, that’s generally a sign of good cardiovascular health. One nuance worth knowing: research from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found that women may start to see increased cardiovascular risk at systolic pressures between 100 and 109 mmHg compared to pressures below 100. This doesn’t mean 106 is dangerous for women. It means risk thresholds may differ by sex, and your doctor can help interpret your numbers in the context of your full health picture.
When a Normal Reading Can Still Cause Symptoms
Even though 106/75 is classified as normal, some people feel lightheaded, fatigued, or dizzy at the lower end of the normal range. This is especially true if your blood pressure tends to dip further when you stand up quickly, a phenomenon called orthostatic hypotension. Dehydration, skipping meals, or standing for long periods can temporarily push an already low-normal reading into symptomatic territory.
Common symptoms of blood pressure that’s too low for your body include dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, unusual fatigue, and trouble concentrating. If you consistently feel these symptoms, your baseline blood pressure may be running lower than what your body prefers, even if the numbers look fine on paper. The reading matters, but so does how you feel at that reading.
Keeping Your Blood Pressure in This Range
The habits that maintain a healthy blood pressure are the same ones that support overall heart health: regular physical activity, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limited sodium intake, adequate sleep, and managing stress. You don’t need to do anything drastic with a reading of 106/75. The goal is simply to keep it from climbing over the years.
Rechecking your blood pressure periodically gives you a useful baseline. A single reading is a snapshot; what matters more is your average over time. Home blood pressure monitors are inexpensive and reliable, and tracking your numbers every few months can catch an upward trend early, long before it becomes a problem.