Understanding Blood Pressure (BP) as our hearts beat. Heart supplies blood through veins and arteries round our body to feed various cells with oxygen and energy for metabolism, strength and vitality. It does all these useful work with the aid of blood pressure. It does these processes to continue in harmony in the system. Blood pressure must neither be too high nor too low but maintained. By the end of this text, you would understand how Blood pressure relates to our health.
♦ Blood Pressure Definition
Blood pressure is simply the pressure at which blood flows in the circulatory system. It relates to the rate at which the heart beats, pumps blood through its vessels, and how it exerts force against vessels’ walls which blood travels, especially the arteries. It varies with age, state of an individual, elasticity of vessel walls, pericardia activities in the and blood’s viscosity.
♦ How Blood Pressure is Measured?
Blood Pressure is determined at the radial artery of the arm, which is the main artery on the lateral section of the forearm medically. This is done using a hospital instrument called a “sphygmomanometer”. Whose value is expressed in units of “milli meters of mercury (mmHg)”. This value is written in two numbers. For example BP-120/80, a fraction with numerator and denominator. Representing the highest pressure which accompanies the systole. The lowest pressure which accompanies the cardiac diastole at the ventricles of the heart respectively. Sometimes, it is written as a whole number representing the systole number only.
♦ What BP Values Signify?
Let’s take for example your blood pressure is at a normal rate of 115 over 75; the first number shows that the highest level of blood pressure which your heart attains when it beats is 115 mmhg, while the other shows the lowest level it reaches when it settles between beats. This value when higher gives rise the tendency towards heart failure conditions; hence to enjoy life and have it long, it is important to keep the blood pressure maintained at normal rate.
♦ Why our BP Must Be Checked Regularly?
Most people don’t feel or notice when their blood pressure is rising or heading to hypertension i.e the state of having high blood pressure, as blood pressure doesn’t give obvious symptom or effect on the body. This condition is very critical, because when Blood Pressure gets too high. It put excess strains on the heart and the arteries that causes many heart failure, cardiac arrest, strokes and even severe heart attacks situation, and which many victims have been reported to die of. Therefore, it is good health practice for every cardiac healthy individual to have their blood pressure regularly checked. It is compulsory to control the blood pressure and side effects of it.
