|
February 16, 2010
Category: Heart Disease
Blood Pressure Explained Blood pressure levels (or in this case – vascular pressure levels) are one of the leading indicators of overall health and fitness for people of all ages and are gauged by determining how much force is created by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels. On the other hand, arterial pressure is the type that indicates the level of pressure as blood traverses the arteries, arterioles, capillaries and veins and is the term most often associated with blood pressure; moreover, arterial pressure decreases as the bloods travels farther away from the heart. For years, a non-invasive device called a sphygmomanometer (an instrument that provides measurement readings in accordance with the level of mercury in a column or cylindrical glass tube) has been utilized to calculate the pressure of blood flow as it circulates in the body. While most modern blood pressure devices no longer contain mercury, pressure level values continue to be reported in millimeters of mercury, or mmHg. 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. The average pressure throughout the cardiac cycle is reported as mean arterial pressure and the pulse pressure reflects the difference between the maximum and minimum pressures measured. Typical values for a resting, healthy adult human are approximately 120 mmHg (16 kPa) systolic and 80 mmHg (11 kPa) diastolic (written as 120/80 mmHg, and spoken as “one twenty over eighty”) with large individual variations. 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. Hypertension refers to arterial pressure being abnormally high, as opposed to hypotension, when it is abnormally low. 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 should be your prime concern and if you have a blood pressure concern, research all the information you can find. Taking professional advice is the sensible thing to do and discuss your blood pressure concerns with your doctor. Balance up what you’ve learned and fine tune your plan of action for maintaining good health and a good blood pressure level. For the most thorough and up to date information on blood pressure levels, arterial pressure monitoring and other useful information, use reliable specialist sites dealing with blood pressure issues.  Possibly Related Posts:
Tags: blood pressure, blood pressure levels, blood pressure monitors, high blood pressure, hypertension, low blood pressure, reduce blood pressure |
|