“Blood pressure is the pressure of the circulating blood against the walls of the arteries, the veins, and the chambers of the heart. Blood pressure results from two forces. One created by the heart as it pumps blood into the arteries through the circulatory system. The other is the force of the arteries as they resist the blood flow.”
Blood pressure is usually measured with a device called a sphygmomanometer. This device includes a manometer to actually measure the pressure and the manometer is attached to a cuff which restricts blood flow. The cuff is placed on your arm and during this process your medical provider will listen for the systolic pressure (contraction) and the diastolic pressure (relaxation). The systolic measurement over the diastolic pressure gives the measurement for blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is usually anywhere between 120/70 and 140/90 for adults. Your blood pressure is likely to be higher than normal if you smoke, are overweight, have diabetes, have high cholesterol, have a family history of abnormal blood pressure, are physically inactive. In addition, blood pressure is more common in people that are over the age of 50.
