Blood Pressure 101

Blood Pressure 101

Blood pressure is essential to your life, to keep your blood moving through your arteries and veins, bringing oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body, and carrying away metabolic wastes to your kidneys for disposal.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, means that you have too much of a good thing. When your blood pressure significantly exceeds the level necessary for your blood to do its job, it can damage your arteries and veins, and also your body organs that they serve. For instance, a stroke may result from the rupture of a blood vessel within the brain. Hypertension may also damage your heart, your kidneys, and your eyes.

The American Heart Association website has many webpages dealing with various aspects of high blood pressure. Links to some of these pages are inserted here at appropriate places, for readers who wish to dig deeper.

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The causes of hypertension for most people are not well understood. However, its potential unfortunate effects are very well documented.

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There are may misconceptions and ‘urban legends’ about hypertension, that you should not believe.

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In scientific work, pressure is often measured in millimeters of mercury, usually abbreviated as mm Hg since Hg is the chemical shorthand for mercury. This unit of measurement is the one normally used to characterize blood pressure. It is also used in meteorology to characterize atmospheric pressure.

A blood-pressure reading is actually two readings, stated in the form ss/dd, where ss is a value for systolic blood pressure and dd is a value for diastolic blood pressure. A systolic blood-pressure reading is a value taken during a pumping stroke of the heart; a diastolic blood-pressure reading is a value taken during the heart’s resting phase, in between pumping strokes. Most of us have 60-80 heartbeats per minute, with the nominal average being 72. Some researchers believe that an infant still in his or her mother’s womb gets conditioned to the sound of the mother’s heartbeat, and that is why so much of our music is set to rhythms having about 72 beats per minute!

An ideal healthy value for systolic blood pressure is 115-120 mm Hg; for diastolic blood pressure, 75-80 mm Hg. By way of comparison, sea- level air pressure is nominally about 1013 mm Hg.

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A consistent systolic reading in the range of 130-140 mm Hg, or a consistent diastolic reading in the range of 80-90 mm Hg, is considered to comprise prehypertension — meaning that you don’t yet have outright high blood pressure, but you’re heading in that direction. Even higher consistent readings comprise outright hypertension, and imply that you should begin mitigating treatments. A systolic reading consistently above 160, or a diastolic reading consistently above 100, is considered quite serious.

Blood pressure does fluctuate somewhat over time, during the day and over longer periods. When you are relaxed and at peace, it usually is lower. When you are anxious and/or stressed, it may go higher. Some people become nervous when visiting a doctor, and their blood pressure goes higher just for that reason; such people need to learn to check their own blood pressure accurately at home.

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Most people with hypertension have absolutely no symptoms. Many of them are quite unaware that they have a dangerous body condition. Almost always, the only way to find out if you have hypertension is by taking a direct measurement.

The usual method for accurately measuring blood pressure requires two medical instruments, a sphygnomanometer and a stethoscope. A sphygnomanometer is a pressure-measuring device with an inflatable cuff that is wrapped around your upper arm; the stethoscope is used to listen to the sound of blood flow in the large artery in your arm. The cuff is inflated by squeezing the sphygnomanometer’s rubber bulb until blood flow is temporarily stopped, and then the air pressure in the cuff is slowly released. If the person taking the measurements performs the procedure correctly, the sphygnomanometer pressure-gauge reading at the instant that the sound of blood flow first resumes is the systolic blood pressure, and the reading when the last sound is heard as the cuff fully deflates is the diastolic blood pressure.

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Your blood-pressure readings may vary by a few mm Hg between your right arm and your left arm, and also according to your posture and your state of relaxation.

Special blood-pressure risk factors apply to pregnant and post- menopausal women, athletes, people of African heritage, older people, obese people, diabetics, smokers, heavy drinkers, and people taking certain medications — in particular, decongestants and birth-control pills.

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No group of people is totally immune to hypertension. Even children and babies may be subject to it.

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A few people have low blood pressure or hypotension. (Note spelling difference!) Unless dizziness or fainting spells becomes a problem for such people, low blood pressure may not be harmful in and of itself.

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If you are subject to hypertension, see your doctor for advice. If your doctor approves, try taking Alistrol, which is very often helpful and has no known interactions with other medications that your doctor may prescribe or recommend.

http://www.alistrol.com/