What is High Blood Pressure?
When you have your blood pressure taken, your health care provider is
measuring the pressure, or tension, that blood exerts on the walls of
the blood vessels as it travels around the body. In a healthy person,
this pressure is just enough for the blood to reach all the cells of the
body, but not so much that it strains blood vessel walls.
ü Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
ü A typical normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, or "120 over 80."
ü The first number represents the pressure when the heart contracts.
ü The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes.
ü The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes.
ü Blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg is considered high.
Generally, blood pressure will go up at certain times - for instance,
if you smoke a cigarette, win the lottery, or witness a car crash - and
will return to normal when the stressful or exciting event has passed
But when blood pressure is high all the time, the continuous increased
force on blood vessel walls can damage blood vessels and organs,
including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain.
The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension.
Need to Know:
Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure
Blood travels through blood vessels much like water through a garden
hose. The blood in the vessels is under pressure just like the water in a
hose when the tap is turned on.
With each heartbeat more blood is pumped into the vessels - like
turning up the tap - so the pressure rises. This is the systolic blood
pressure, the first number in the blood pressure measurement,
which is normally around 120.
Between heartbeats, while the heart is resting, the pressure in the
arteries is lower. This is the diastolic pressure, second number in
the blood pressure measurement, which is normally around 80.
When you have your blood pressure taken, your health care provider is
measuring the pressure, or tension, that blood exerts on the walls of
the blood vessels as it travels around the body. In a healthy person,
this pressure is just enough for the blood to reach all the cells of the
body, but not so much that it strains blood vessel walls.
ü Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
ü A typical normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, or "120 over 80."
ü The first number represents the pressure when the heart contracts.
ü The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes.
ü The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes.
ü Blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg is considered high.
Generally, blood pressure will go up at certain times - for instance,
if you smoke a cigarette, win the lottery, or witness a car crash - and
will return to normal when the stressful or exciting event has passed
But when blood pressure is high all the time, the continuous increased
force on blood vessel walls can damage blood vessels and organs,
including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain.
The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension.
Need to Know:
Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure
Blood travels through blood vessels much like water through a garden
hose. The blood in the vessels is under pressure just like the water in a
hose when the tap is turned on.
With each heartbeat more blood is pumped into the vessels - like
turning up the tap - so the pressure rises. This is the systolic blood
pressure, the first number in the blood pressure measurement,
which is normally around 120.
Between heartbeats, while the heart is resting, the pressure in the
arteries is lower. This is the diastolic pressure, second number in
the blood pressure measurement, which is normally around 80.