My Blood Pressure - An Introduction to the "Silent Killer
The condition of the blood, the obstacles it meets and the ability of the heart to perform its function all influence your blood pressure.
The entire body works on an efficient but complicated system.
The fluid system is even more complicated as it has high variables.
The blood circulation carries this same complexity, with a host of different things affecting it.
Blood circulation is dependent on the heart to pump it round the body.
The condition of the blood, the obstacles it meets and the ability of the heart to perform its function all influence the blood pressure.
How well these requirements work is largely dependent on outside influences such as infections, diet, exercise, toxins (including drugs), etc.
The health of your circulatory system is affected by your life style choices which, in turn, affects the health of your body in general.
The power force behind everything is your heart so lets look at the heart's function first.
It is a pump that pushes blood through your circulatory system, traveling through your entire body.
The rate it pumps at is called the heart rate.
On average, a healthy heart rate is somewhere between 70 and 75 beats per minute.
The more frequent the heart has to beat, the higher the blood pressure.
Then there is the volume of blood in the body to be taken into account.
The more blood there is returning to the heart, the more it has to work and the higher the blood pressure.
Salt increases blood volume in some people so a patient is often advised to reduce their salt intake.
Viscosity is the thickness of the blood.
The thicker the blood, the harder and more frequent the heart has to pump.
Sugar increases viscosity as do certain illnesses.
In its circuit around the body, the blood may meet resistance.
This can be the size of the blood vessels it is being pushed through or the smoothness of the vessel.
The smoother the inside of the blood vessel, the easier the blood can glide through.
There are variables in the body that can narrow or dilate the blood vessels.
Fatty acids smooth out the insides of the blood vessels, reducing resistance, allowing easy passage for the blood flow.
That gives a basic summary of high blood pressure and one might expect that low blood pressure is what to aim for.
Regrettably not, as that brings its own problems.
Common causes for low blood pressure are hormonal disturbances, sepsis, toxins in the blood or hemorrhaging.
Readings can vary depending on whether you have recently been subjected to any treatments, taken exercise, are sitting or standing, have recently taken substances like drugs, caffeine, or something you may have a slight allergy to.
The entire body works on an efficient but complicated system.
The fluid system is even more complicated as it has high variables.
The blood circulation carries this same complexity, with a host of different things affecting it.
Blood circulation is dependent on the heart to pump it round the body.
The condition of the blood, the obstacles it meets and the ability of the heart to perform its function all influence the blood pressure.
How well these requirements work is largely dependent on outside influences such as infections, diet, exercise, toxins (including drugs), etc.
The health of your circulatory system is affected by your life style choices which, in turn, affects the health of your body in general.
The power force behind everything is your heart so lets look at the heart's function first.
It is a pump that pushes blood through your circulatory system, traveling through your entire body.
The rate it pumps at is called the heart rate.
On average, a healthy heart rate is somewhere between 70 and 75 beats per minute.
The more frequent the heart has to beat, the higher the blood pressure.
Then there is the volume of blood in the body to be taken into account.
The more blood there is returning to the heart, the more it has to work and the higher the blood pressure.
Salt increases blood volume in some people so a patient is often advised to reduce their salt intake.
Viscosity is the thickness of the blood.
The thicker the blood, the harder and more frequent the heart has to pump.
Sugar increases viscosity as do certain illnesses.
In its circuit around the body, the blood may meet resistance.
This can be the size of the blood vessels it is being pushed through or the smoothness of the vessel.
The smoother the inside of the blood vessel, the easier the blood can glide through.
There are variables in the body that can narrow or dilate the blood vessels.
Fatty acids smooth out the insides of the blood vessels, reducing resistance, allowing easy passage for the blood flow.
That gives a basic summary of high blood pressure and one might expect that low blood pressure is what to aim for.
Regrettably not, as that brings its own problems.
Common causes for low blood pressure are hormonal disturbances, sepsis, toxins in the blood or hemorrhaging.
Readings can vary depending on whether you have recently been subjected to any treatments, taken exercise, are sitting or standing, have recently taken substances like drugs, caffeine, or something you may have a slight allergy to.