Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood on the arterial walls. Each pulse generates the power by pumping blood from the heart into the blood arteries. Blood pressure is also influenced by the size and suppleness of arterial walls. Every time the heart beats (contracts and relaxes), arterial pressure is generated.
The highest pressure occurs when the heart pumps blood into the arteries. When the heart relaxes between beats (blood is not leaving the heart), arterial pressure declines.
In measuring blood pressure, two figures are recorded.
The top figure, or systolic pressure, indicates the pressure inside the artery as the heart contracts and pumps blood throughout the body.
The diastolic pressure is the pressure within the artery while the heart is at rest and filled with blood.
Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are reported in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) (millimeters of mercury). This measurement indicates how high the mercury column in the blood pressure cuff is elevated by blood pressure.
By using a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope, a nurse or other healthcare professional measures blood pressure. With an electronic blood pressure monitor, you may also take your own blood pressure readings. These are often accessible in pharmacies.
The National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has defined two degrees of high blood pressure for adults:
Stage 1
140 mm Hg to 159 mm Hg systolic pressure—the greater of the two numbers
and
Lower number: 90 mm Hg to 99 mm Hg diastolic pressure
Stage 2
more than 160 mm Hg systolic pressure
and
more than 100 mm Hg diastolic pressure
According to the NHLBI, prehypertension is defined as:
120 to 139 mm Hg systolic blood pressure.
and
80 mm Hg to 89 mm Hg diastolic pressure
The following is how the NHLBI defines normal blood pressure:
Systolic pressure lower than 120 mm Hg.
and
80 mm Hg or less diastolic pressure
Use these figures simply as a guide. A single test of high blood pressure is not always indicative of a problem. Before diagnosing high blood pressure and initiating therapy, your healthcare professional will need many blood pressure readings taken over the course of several days or weeks. If your blood pressure is typically lower than average, you may be diagnosed with hypertension if your blood pressure readings fall below 140/90.
What are the risk factors for hypertension?
- Almost one-third of all Americans have hypertension, however it is more frequent in:
- Those with diabetes, gout, or renal disease are afflicted with metabolic syndrome.
- Black Americans (particularly those who live in the southeastern U.S.)
- People in their early to middle adult years; males in this age range tend to have greater blood pressure than women do.
- People in their medium to later years of adulthood; women in this age bracket had greater blood pressure than males on average (more women have high blood pressure after menopause than men of the same age)
- People of middle age and old age; more than half of all Americans aged 60 and older have hypertension.
- People having a family history of hypertension
- Those eating a diet rich in sodium
- Overweight individuals
- Those who consume a lot of alcohol
- Women who use orally administered contraception
- individuals with depression
How can high blood pressure/hypertension occur?
The following conditions may contribute to hypertension:
- Being overweight
- excessive sodium consumption
- Lack of physical exercise and activity
How is elevated blood pressure managed?
These measures will assist you in managing your blood pressure:
- Take prescription medication precisely as advised by your doctor.
- Select foods with a low sodium content (salt)
- Choose low-calorie and low-fat meals
- Choose fiber-rich meals
- Maintaining a healthy weight or, if overweight, reducing weight
- Limit serving sizes
- Boost your physical activity
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption
Sometimes daily medication is required to treat hypertension. If you have hypertension, you should get your blood pressure monitored often and visit your doctor to monitor the condition.