What Is An Average Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is a very variable entity in the body. The pressure keeps changing every time; as a matter of fact, every second. The pressure is much more volatile than the New York stock exchange. Since the blood has to keep flowing, depending upon the requirement in the body, heart will keep pumping by applying more force whenever it is needed. It is therefore, important for the body that the blood pressure is as uniform as possible. But on most occasions, that is not the case. That is why; doctor's always refer to average blood pressure instead of blood pressure at any given point in time.
The blood pressure using any of the methods is taken at least for three to four times. An average of these values is taken to provide you with the average blood pressure. In case of invasive blood pressure measurement, normally the blood pressure is marked on a graph to indicate the average blood pressure at that given point in time. Average blood pressure is taken as the pressure for that given point in time. This would help the doctor to verify whether the blood pressure is high or low or where does it lie with respect to the requirement. It is the average blood pressure that is always used for this purpose.
The average blood pressure when presented has two components to it. It is normally written as 120/70 mm of mercury. In this the 120 represents the systolic blood pressure while the 70 represents the diastolic blood pressure. Together they provide the average blood pressure of the person. The systolic blood pressure is measured at the highest pressure point generated by the heart while the diastolic blood pressure is measured when the heart is at 'rest'. This is the pressure at which the heart is in the normal mode of operation. This pressure measurement itself is taken into account on a specific time basis. But this is not the average blood pressure. However, it is advisable to always base the decisions based on the average blood pressure alone.
When the average blood pressure is more than 140/90 mm of mercury, then it is called a high blood pressure. The same way when the average blood pressure falls below 100/60 mm of mercury then it is called a low blood pressure. While the higher blood pressure is also called as hyper tension, the low blood pressure is also called the hypo tension. Both the conditions are bad for the human body and could lead to further complications in all the important organs. Blood pressure fall or rise could affect vital organs like brain, heart and kidney. Some times even the lungs are affected due to the high blood pressure. Most often abnormal pressures are caused more by mental exertion than by physical exertions. In either case, whether high or low, it is harmful to the human body.
Blood Pressure
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