Blood pressure is regulated by determining the volume and force of blood moving through the arterial system, notes the University of Missouri website. Highly pressurized blood flows through the body to provide oxygenated blood to all of the organs and body tissues in a healthy circulatory system. However, additional force applied to the blood vessels due to various health conditions can damage the heart and weaken these vessels.
Function
The National Space Biomedical Research Institute describes that the force of blood through the arteries, as well as the resistance to that force, is the measure of blood pressure. This measurement describes how hard the blood has to push through the blood vessels in order to move throughout the body. The ventricles in the heart contract as blood leaves the chamber. This flow causes the walls of the arteries to alternately expand and contract. This contracting and relaxing of the walls of the blood vessels causes a pulse, which can be felt on the skin's surface above the arteries.
Effects
Blood volume in a healthy adult measures 5,000 ml per minute while at rest. This number increases to five or six times that amount while exercising, as the body requires more oxygen to supply energy to various organs and muscles. The volume of blood pumped through the heart in one minute is defined as cardiac output, notes the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. When blood vessels become stiff and narrow, greater force is required to move the same amount of blood through the arterial system; the greater force results in higher blood pressure.
Regulation
Blood pressure flow through the body is regulated by the dilation and constriction of blood vessels. However, blood pressure can increase dangerously when fatty substances and blood sugars accumulate along the vessel walls in a condition called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which narrows the blood vessels and restricts the volume of blood movement through the body. Blood pressure regulation requires regular monitoring, cardiovascular exercise and a healthy diet. Blood pressure is measured by a sphygmomanometer, a blood pressure meter with an expandable cuff. This instrument measures the force of blood in the vessels by measuring how many millimeters of mercury, or mmHg, it raises on the sphygmomanometer. The cuff wraps around the upper arm to measure the force of blood in the arterial pulse. Healthy blood pressure in an adult is less than 120 mmHg -- systolic -- over less than 80 mmhg -- diastolic.
Expert Insight
The classic text, "Gray's Anatomy," available at Bartleby.com, notes that the kidneys must excrete enough sodium chloride to keep sodium levels balanced in the body. Salt and potassium create a chemical and electrical reaction in the heart that keeps blood pumping. Without this sodium and potassium balance, the fluid, or lymph, in the blood can increase blood pressure. Renal or kidney disease is a common secondary cause of hypertension, or high blood pressure, state KidneyAtlas.org. When blood pressure increases, the kidneys excrete additional sodium in a continuing cycle. When the kidney dysfunction is treated, sodium levels may return to normal, decreasing hypertension.
Warning
Unregulated blood pressure forces the heart to pump harder, and the arteries and blood vessels to stretch and strain. Lack of cardiovascular exercise, as well as excessive cholesterol and triglycerides constricting and stiffening the blood vessels, eventually leads to hypertension. Stretched and strained blood vessels force the heart to work harder, and may lead to a stroke or congestive heart failure, leading to severe heart damage.
