Currently, many people are increasingly becoming concerned about their blood pressure

levels. This has meant that more people have resorted to installing home blood pressure
monitors. Regardless of this, there still remain a large number of people who do not
really understand what blood pressure is and what its implications are.

What is Blood Pressure?

Ideally, the heart pumps blood throughout the body in order to provide the energy and
oxygen required for bodily functions. As it does this, the blood pushes against the walls
of the blood vessels and it is this forceful push that is referred to as blood pressure. Blood
pressure levels are not always constant but can fluctuate during the day and according to
the level of physical effort a person may be exerting at any given time. Blood pressure
levels can be normal, high, or low.

Normal Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure ranges between 100/60 to 150/90. Usually, normal blood pressure
may be at the midpoint of these two measurements and fluctuations towards either side
may be affected by other factors such as age.

High Blood Pressure

This is also referred to as hypertension. When someone has high blood pressure this
means that their blood pressure is higher than the recommended levels for that particular
individual. High bold pressure is a health risk factor that may lead to such health
problems as strokes, heart attacks, eye damage, and heart failure. These negative effects
result from the accumulation of fat deposits along the arteries due to high blood pressure.
Consequently, the arteries are narrowed and blood supply to the heart and the entire body
becomes restricted. This insufficient supply of blood may culminate in instances of
strokes, heart attacks, and heart failure.

Low Blood Pressure

Low blood pressure, on the other hand, occurs when the blood pressures falls below the
normal range of blood pressure for a particular individual. Symptoms exhibited include
dizziness, irregular heartbeats, fainting, wheezing, or chest pain among others. Low blood
pressure insinuates the insufficient supply of blood being pumped from the heart to the
entire body.

How Blood Pressure is measured

Blood pressure is measured using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer.
Measurement is done through the comparison of the arterial pressure to a column of
mercury found in a calibrated tube. Two types of reports are generated from this
measurement: systolic blood pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the
pumping force when the heart contracts while diastolic pressure is when the heart is at a
momentary rest between contractions (heartbeats).

When to measure blood pressure

Blood pressure should be measured often and this is especially so if one has any health
condition. Measurements may be taken in the morning; an hour after waking up when
one has an empty bladder. Blood pressure should also be measured later on in the evening
in order to monitor how daily activities affect one’s blood pressure.