Blood Pressure Revealed
Blood pressure (strictly speaking: vascular pressure) refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. The pressure of the circulating blood decreases as blood moves through arteries, arterioles, capillaries, and veins; the term blood pressure generally refers to arterial pressure, i.e., the pressure in the larger arteries, arteries being the blood vessels which take blood away from the heart.
When measuring arterial pressure, a sphygmomanometer (a device that provides measurements based on the level of mercury in an glass column or cylindrical glass tube) is commonly used to determine the amount of circulating pressure and is considered to be non-invasive way of measuring blood pressure. Even though mercury is no longer used in most blood pressure monitoring devices, millimeters of mercury, also referred to as mmHg, continues to be the way blood pressure levels are reported. When measuring blood pressure, there are two types that are reported. Systolic arterial pressure is measured when the pressure is at its highest in the arteries of the body, and generally occurs at the beginning of the cardiac cycles. On the other hand, diastolic pressure refers to the pressure at its lowest level, and is noted between cardiac cycles or when the heart is in a momentary resting state. When considering the total overall pressure of blood flow throughout the cardiac cycle, the measurement is reported as the mean arterial pressure. Moreover, pulse pressure indicates the variance of maximum and minimum pressure levels.
When a healthy adult is resting, the average systolic pressure reading is 120 mmHg (16 kPa) and the normal diastolic reading would be in the range of 80 mmHg (11 kPa). When writing this particular pressure level, it would be shown as 120/80 mmHg and spoken as “one twenty over eighty”. While the 120/80 mmHg is considered to be average for healthy adults, readings can vary considerably based on other factors such as age, fitness and health. The measure of your arterial blood pressure can change as often as the heart beats, and your blood pressure may vary at different times of the day. Fluctuations in your arterial blood pressure and are usually not cause for great concern – unless there are particularly large differences. Some common factors that may affect your arterial blood pressure levels are: diet, drugs and alcohol, fitness and even stress.
Blood pressure levels that are either too high or too low can be a cause of concern and may lead to other health problems. The condition associated with elevated blood pressure levels is known as hypertension, and when pressure levels are too low, hypotension is the term used to name the condition. Next to measuring a person’s body temperature, blood pressure measurements are the second most commonly basic health test performed on individuals.
Your good health is the most valuable asset you can have and if you have a blood pressure concern, research all the guidance you can find. Taking professional advice is the sensible thing to do and discuss your blood pressure concerns with your doctor. Weigh up your findings and fine tune your plan of action for maintaining good health and a good blood pressure level.
You can learn more about blood pressure levels and other cardiac health related issues by using reliable specialist sites.
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