Definition:
Blood pressure can be defined as the force circulating blood and its components through the walls of the arteries. The heart supplies blood to other organs of the body with every beat, it pumps blood into large blood vessels of the circulatory system. The blood puts pressure on the walls of the arteries as it moves around.
What Are The Values Of Blood Pressure?
There are two values of blood pressure. These are:
- Systolic blood pressure.
- Diastolic blood pressure.
Systolic Blood Pressure:
Is the force (pressure) that is produce when the heart beats while the heart muscles contracts (squeezing) and pumping oxygenated blood into the blood vessels. The value on top is the systolic example 120/80 the value 120 is the systolic blood pressure.
Diastolic:
Is the force (pressure) that is produce on the blood when the hearts muscle relaxes. The diastolic pressure is normally lower than the systolic and is the value written at the lower example 120/80, the value 80 is the diastolic.
How Is Blood Pressure Measured?
Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg) the reading or results are always given in pairs (systolic and diastolic) with upper value as systolic and lower value as diastolic. Example a reading that gives 120/80 is said to 120 /over 80 which means the systolic blood pressure is 120 and diastolic pressure is 80.
What Is The Normal Value Of Blood Pressure?
The normal value of blood pressure according to world health organization (WHO) is 120/80mmHg. The pressure is said to be normal and it goes lower than it. Example 100/60, 90/70, 80/50 etc. it said to low blood pressure which is referred to as hypotension. Also if the results reeds higher than normal is said to be high blood pressure examples 140/90, 150/100, 160/100, 170/100 etc. it is said to be high blood pressure or hypertension.
How Is Blood Pressure Measured?
Blood pressure is measured using digital blood pressure monitor for automated reading and an instrument called a sphygmomanometer for manual reading. you can measure your blood pressure on your own.
Blood pressure is measured when one is at rest. It is always measured on different days, if most of the measurements reading are high then one is said to have high blood pressure, even if one of the two either diastolic or systolic is high. High blood pressure is referred to as hypertension medically.
It is sensible to measure the blood pressure in both arms when taking blood pressure for the first time, Because some time it gets high in one arm only that one side when this is done then it is recommended to check the blood pressure on the arm that gives the high pressure reading. It is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly for monitoring. If the reading repeats to high then one needs to see the doctor for drugs prescription and a registered dietitian to place the person on a therapeutic diet specially designed for lowering B.P and maintaining normal blood pressure. Blood pressure should be measure more than once because it fluctuates, it can change due to reasons like weather, stress, pain, or dieting with too much salt, sugar or fat. Low fiber diet can also raise the blood pressure. So in order to get a reliable reading, blood pressure should be measure on different days while the person is at rest. People gets nervous that leads to their blood pressure getting high.
Steps In Checking Blood Pressure
- Sitting down and relaxing on a chair.
- Wait for about three minutes before taking the measurement for the blood circulating to come to normal or rest.
- Rest the upper arm for measurement on a table.
- The arm resting on the table should be about the height as the heart is positioned, while the reading is being done.
- It is easier to get the reading using automated digital machine.
- The use of sphygmomanometer take another steps to follow to get the reading.
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Disease and Disorders