Understanding Blood Pressure

Understanding Blood Pressure Readings

There are many different markers of health status. Understanding the definition of health indicators such as blood pressure and what exactly your blood pressure reading means can be confusing. While all those numbers may appear complicated at...

How to Understand Blood Pressure Numbers

Having high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. You need to have your blood pressure checked regularly to know if it is high--in most cases there are no symptoms with high blood pressure. You may not know...

How to Understand Your Blood Pressure Numbers

Blood pressure refers to the force the fluid within the vascular system exerts on the walls of the vessels. Elevated blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and death. The higher blood pressure is above...

4 Ways to Understand Blood Pressure Readings

Your blood pressure is a measurement of how much pressure your blood is under while inside your arteries. This pressure is created by the contraction of the heart muscle as blood is pumped out and sent through the body's arteries, veins and...

How to Interpret High Blood Pressure Numbers

Your blood pressure number is one that doctors commonly use to measure your overall cardiovascular health. A patient information page at the "Journal of the American Medical Association" notes that elevated blood pressure puts extra strain on the...

Healthy Blood Pressure Readings

Physicians use blood pressure to help evaluate how healthy a person is. A healthy blood pressure reading can vary over time and from person to person. A doctor will decide what a healthy blood pressure reading is for a patient.

Optimum Blood Pressure Readings

According to the American Heart Association, normal blood pressure is 120/80 or a little below. Blood pressure varies depending on stress, physical condition, medications, food and drink, activity, body position, and time of day. It is usually...

How to Decipher Blood Pressure Readings on a Chart

Blood pressure refers to the force exerted on the walls of arteries by the blood that circulates inside them. This pressure is mainly caused by the contraction, or pumping, of the heart. Your blood pressure will most likely be measured using a...

How to Teach a Class on Blood Pressure

Whether you are teaching a group of students in an exercise class or a general health class, knowing about blood pressure will allow them to live healthier lives. You can teach what numbers in a blood pressure reading signify, what a normal blood...

About Normal Blood Pressure Readings

Each time the heart beats, it sends blood throughout the body at a specific pressure. A blood pressure reading measures the amount of blood pressure in the arteries at different times. If blood pressure is too low, tissues may become starved of...

Normal Human Blood Pressure Range

Human blood pressure is the measured pressure in the wall of the arteries and recorded in millimeters of mercury. The measurement is written as a ratio to include two values: systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

How to Take a Blood Pressure Reading With a Stethoscope

Blood pressure is a measurement of the force that blood exerts against a vessel wall, during heartbeats. The chambers of the heart that contract to produce the systolic (top) number are called ventricles. When the ventricles relax, the diastolic...

High Blood Pressure & Salt Intake

High blood pressure and salt intake are directly related. High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases the risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure according to the textbook "Nutrition and...

Blood Pressure Response to Exercise

High blood pressure is a particularly dangerous disease with potentially devastating effects, yet it often goes unnoticed. Checking your blood pressure on a regular basis can save your life, and there is additional value in checking blood...

What Diuretics Are Used for High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, describes a condition that occurs when the pressure of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels increases to a level that can cause damage to the arteries and eventually the organs. The...

Healthy Blood Pressure for a Young Adult

It's never too soon to start taking care of your health. Beginning in young adulthood, you should have your blood pressure checked regularly. The effects of eating fatty foods and foods high in sodium can have an impact on your health as early as...

What Is the Normal Blood Pressure for Men?

Each heartbeat consists of two contractions that occur in quick succession. When the heart beats, blood is sent through the body at a specific pressure that is determined by the force of the heartbeat, as well as the condition of the arteries. If...

L-Cysteine & Blood Pressure

L-cysteine is one of the supplement forms of the sulfur-containing, non-essential amino acid cysteine. Cysteine is found in proteins throughout your body and plays a role in stabilizing proteins. It may also be helpful in treating a number of...

About Blood Pressure Machines in Stores

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 50 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure, but because there are often no symptoms, many people don't realize they have it unless it develops into a...

Low & High Blood Pressure Symptoms

Blood pressure is the force exerted on the artery walls that carry blood around the body. It is measured using two numbers -- systolic over diastolic. Systolic blood pressure is the maximum pressure when the heart beats and diastolic is the...

Does Vigorous Exercise Raise Your Blood Pressure?

During periods of vigorous exercise, your blood pressure increases, along with your body temperature, respiratory rate and other physiological measures. While chronic high blood pressure, or hypertension, can be a serious medical condition, the...

Common Questions About Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a common medical test that measures the pressure your blood puts on your blood vessels. It is a good indicator into the state of your cardiovascular system. If your blood pressure is too high, it stretches out your arteries, can...

What Is Considered Good Blood Pressure?

Having high blood pressure raises the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Controlling blood pressure requires making healthy lifestyle choices to both prevent high blood pressure and treat it once it has been diagnosed. The first step...

Normal Blood Pressure During a Workout

The American Heart Association refers to high blood pressure as the "silent killer," so understanding what your blood pressure readings are and what they mean is recommended. You may be familiar with what your resting blood pressure should be, but...

The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Hypertension

Poor diet, stress, heredity and high caffeine intake are all potential causes of hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure. Scientists have not been able to pinpoint a specific reason for the condition but have developed numerous...

Blood Pressure & Muscle Gain

As defined by Medline Plus, blood pressure is "a measurement of the force applied to the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body." The amount of force and volume of blood, as well as the size and flexibility of the arteries...

Bad Foods to Eat With High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps out blood. When your blood pressure reaches or surpasses a reading of 140/90, this is considered high blood pressure or hypertension. This value is...

Foods to Treat High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. When this measure reaches or surpasses a value of 140/90 mm/Hg, it is termed high blood pressure, or hypertension. The top value in this...