Blood Pressure Overview
Blood pressure is the amount of force your blood uses to get through your arteries. When your heart pumps, it uses force to push oxygen-rich blood out to your arteries. They bring it to your body’s cells and tissues.
If your blood pressure is too high, it can cause health issues. The only way to know your blood pressure is to measure it.
Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure or force of blood inside your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into arteries that carry blood throughout your body. This happens 60 to 100 times a minute, 24 hours a day. Arteries deliver oxygen and nutrients to your whole body so it can function.
A normal blood pressure can vary between individuals, but the American Heart Association recommend a target blood pressure below 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic.
Stage 1 hypertension is either when a person’s systolic pressure is 130–139 or their diastolic pressure is 80–89.
However, blood pressure can become dangerously high, and it can also get too low.
Blood pressure is also vital because it delivers white blood cells and antibodies for immunity and hormones such as insulin.
Just as important as providing oxygen and nutrients, the fresh blood that gets delivered is able to pick up the toxic waste products of metabolism, including the carbon dioxide we exhale with every breath and the toxins we clear through the liver and kidneys.
Blood itself carries a number of other properties, including its temperature. It also carries one of the defenses against tissue damage, the clotting platelets that prevent blood loss following injury.
The heart creates blood pressure by forcing out blood when it contracts with every heartbeat, which causes blood to exert pressure in the arteries. Blood pressure, however, cannot be created solely by a pumping heart.
Ranges of Normal Blood Pressure Readings
The National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association (AHA) cite normal blood pressure to be below 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic. However, blood pressure changes naturally for many reasons.
Older 2003 guidelines state that for blood pressures above a figure of 115/75 mm Hg, every rise of 20/10 mm Hg doubles the risk of heart disease.
The overall guidelines for high blood pressure received an update in November 2017. They allow for earlier intervention.
Since 2017, the AHA has advised that people with high blood pressure should receive treatment at 130/80 mm Hg rather than 140/90 mm Hg.
They also removed the “prehypertension” category between 120-139/80-89 mm Hg. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mm Hg now qualifies as stage II hypertension and not stage I, as it used to be.
Blood Pressure vs. Heart Rate
Both of these have to do with your heart, but they’re two different things. Blood pressure is how powerfully your blood travels through your blood vessels. Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in one minute.
An increase in heart rate doesn’t mean your blood pressure is going up, too. The only way to know your blood pressure is to measure it with a blood pressure cuff and gauge.
High Blood Pressure Chart
| Category | Systolic | and/or | Diastolic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | < 120 mm Hg | and | < 80 mm Hg |
| Elevated (at risk, or prehypertension) | 120-129 mm Hg | and | < 80 mm Hg |
| Hypertension stage 1 | 130-139 mm Hg | or | 80-89 mm Hg |
| Hypertension stage 2 | > 140 mm Hg | or | > 90 mm Hg |
| Hypertensive crisis (emergency situation) | > 180 mm Hg | and/or | > 120 mm Hg |
In these new guidelines, the AHA also advises that doctors should only prescribe medication in cases of a previous heart attack or stroke, or in the presence of risk factors for these conditions, such as age, a diabetes diagnosis, or chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Treatment at the earlier stages of high blood pressure should instead come mainly through lifestyle changes.
The Function of Blood Pressure in the Body
Circulation is similar to a highly sophisticated form of plumbing, blood has “flow,” and arteries are “pipes.” A basic law of physics gives rise to blood flow, and this law also applies in a garden hose pipe.
Blood flows through the body because of a difference in pressure.
Blood pressure is highest at the start of its journey from the heart — when it enters the aorta — and it is lowest at the end of its journey along progressively smaller branches of arteries. That pressure difference is what causes blood to flow.
Arteries affect blood pressure in a similar way to the physical properties of a garden hose pipe affecting water pressure. Constricting the pipe increases pressure at the point of constriction.
Without the elastic nature of the artery walls, for example, the pressure of the blood would fall away more quickly as it is pumped from the heart.
While the heart creates the maximum pressure, the properties of the arteries are just as important to maintaining it and allowing blood to flow throughout the body.
The condition of the arteries affects blood pressure and flow, and narrowing of the arteries can eventually block the supply altogether, leading to dangerous conditions including stroke and heart attack.
Why Blood Pressure Fluctuates
Your blood pressure doesn’t stay the same at all times. It changes based on what you’re doing. When you’re exercising or excited, your blood pressure goes up. When you’re resting, your blood pressure is lower.
Your blood pressure can also change because of your:
- Age.
- Changes in position.
- Medications you take.
Why Blood Pressure Matters
High blood pressure (hypertension) the “silent killer”, usually has no symptoms. It can damage your heart, kidneys and brain before you know anything is wrong.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Without treatment, high blood pressure can cause the following diseases:
- Aneurysms.
- Broken blood vessels in your eyes.
- Enlarged heart.
- Heart failure.
- Kidney disease.
- Heart attack.
- Peripheral artery disease.
- Stroke.
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Risk of Developing High Blood Pressure
The risk of developing high blood pressure is higher if you fall in the following categories:
- Age 60 or older.
- Don’t exercise.
- Have a family history of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
- Are Black.
- Individuals with diabetes
- Have high cholesterol.
- Obesity
- People who smoke.
- Have eat a high salt diet.
- Use oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
Blood Pressure Measurement
The device used to measure blood pressure is a sphygmomanometer. It consists of a rubber armband, the cuff that is inflated by hand or machine pump.
Once the cuff is inflated enough to stop the pulse, a reading is taken either electronically or on an analog dial.
The reading is expressed in terms of the pressure it takes to move mercury around a tube against gravity. This is the reason for pressure being measured using the unit millimeters of mercury, abbreviated to mm Hg.
Measuring blood pressure typically does not cause any pain or discomfort. However, it can temporarily feel tight around the arm.
Prevention of High Blood Pressure
The AHA list the following measures patients can take to help keep a healthy blood pressure:
- Cutting down on sodium, or salt in the diet.
- Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight based on a doctor’s recommendation.
- Managing stress.
- Regularly engage in physical activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, if possible.
- Moderate alcohol consumption. Men should drink fewer than two alcoholic beverages a day. Women and men with a lower body weight should consume a maximum of one alcoholic drink a day.
- Work with a doctor to manage all prescriptions properly.
- Quit smoking.
Taking these steps can reduce the risk of health problems further down the line.
Low Blood Pressure
Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is not typically as worrisome as high blood pressure. However, it can still indicate health issues.
A person with a blood pressure reading of less than 90/60 mm Hg is considered to have low blood pressure. The AHA has stated that doctors do not usually consider this a problem unless other symptoms exist alongside it.
These underlying issues could include internal bleeding, heart disease, pregnancy, some medications, among other situations.
If a person experiences other symptoms, they should speak with their doctor to address any underlying conditions.
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