 What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood on the walls of blood
vessels. Used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the
pressure in large arteries of the systemic circulation. Blood pressure is usually
expressed in terms of the systolic pressure (maximum during one heart beat)
over diastolic pressure (minimum in between two heart beats) and is measured in
millimeters of mercury (mmHg), above the surrounding atmospheric pressure
(considered to be zero for convenience).

 What is Systolic and Diastolic?

 Systolic: The blood pressure when the heart is contracting. It is specifically

the maximum arterial pressure during contraction of the left ventricle of the
heart. The time at which ventricular contraction occurs is called systole.

In a blood pressure reading, the systolic pressure is typically the first number
recorded. For example, with a blood pressure of 120/80 ("120 over 80"), the
systolic pressure is 120. By "120" is meant 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).

A systolic murmur is a heart murmur heard during systole, the time the heart
contracts, between the normal first and second heart sounds.

"Systolic" comes from the Greek systole meaning "a drawing together or a
contraction." The term has been in use since the 16th century to denote the
contraction of the heart muscle.

 Diastolic: Referring to the time when the heart is in a period of relaxation

and dilatation(expansion).The diastolic pressure is specifically the minimum
arterial pressure during relaxation and dilatation of the ventricles of the heart
when the ventricles fill with blood.
In a blood pressure reading, the diastolic pressure is typically the second number
recorded. For example, with a blood pressure of 120/80 ("120 over 80"), the
diastolic pressure is 80. By "80" is meant 80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).

A diastolic murmur is a heart murmur heard during diastole, the time the heart
relaxes.

"Diastolic" came from the Greek diastole meaning "a drawing apart." The term has
been in use since the 16th century to denote the period of relaxation of the heart
muscle.

 How Blood Pressure is measured?

First, a doctor or other health professional wraps a special cuff around your arm.
The cuff has a gauge on it that will read your blood pressure. The doctor then
inflates the cuff to squeeze your arm.

After the cuff is inflated, the doctor will slowly let air out. While doing this, he or
she will listen to your pulse with a stethoscope and watch the gauge. The gauge
uses a scale called “millimeters of mercury” (mmHg) to measure the pressure in
your blood vessels.

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers. The first number,

called systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your blood vessels when
your heart beats. The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, measures the
pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats.

If the measurement reads 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, you would say “120 over
80” or write “120/80 mmHg.”

The chart below shows normal, at-risk, and high blood pressure levels. A blood
pressure less than 120/80 mmHg is normal. A blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or
more is too high. People with levels in between 120/80 and 140/90 have a
condition called prehypertension, which means they are at high risk for high blood
pressure.

 Factor of Blood Pressure

 Smoking

 Being overweight or obese

 Lack of physical activity

 Too much salt in the diet

 Chronic kidney disease

 Adrenal and thyroid disorders

 Sleep apne

 Important of Knowing BP.

Blood pressure is important because the higher your blood pressure is, the higher
your risk of health problems in the future.

If your blood pressure is high, it is putting extra strain on your arteries and on your
heart. Over time, this strain can cause the arteries to become to become thicker and
less flexible, or to become weaker.

If your arteries become thicker and less flexible, they will become more narrow,
making them more likely to become clogged up. If an artery becomes completely
clogged up (known as a clot), this can lead to a heart attack, a stroke, kidney
disease or dementia.

More rarely, if an artery has become weakened, the extra strain may eventually
lead to the artery bursting. This may also cause a heart attack or stroke.