Blood pressure, as the name implies, refers to the force exerted by circulating blood against the body’s arteries. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The heart is the organ that circulates blood throughout the body. Thus, blood pressure acts as an indicator of cardiovascular health since it measures the efficiency of both the heart and the blood vessels.
Maintaining normal blood pressure is important for preventing illnesses such as heart disease and stroke. This is when blood pressure readings come into play.
You must directly monitor your blood pressure to determine the force of blood against the artery wall. Blood pressure readings are made up of two parts: systolic and diastolic. This article will explain how blood pressure is measured.
Understanding Blood Pressure Readings
As mentioned earlier, there are two components of blood pressure readings; systolic pressure, and diastolic pressure.
Systolic pressure (top number): This displays the top number and monitors the pressure in the arteries as the heart beats and pumps blood. Systolic pressure is the maximum force exerted on the artery walls during heart contraction.
Diastolic pressure (bottom number): This shows the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting between beats.
Example
Note that mmHg is the unit of measurement for blood pressure. This measurement shows the maximum pressure at which blood may be pushed through a mercury column. A blood pressure reading, for instance, might be written as 120/80 mmHg, where the diastolic pressure is represented by 80 and the systolic pressure by 120.
Additionally, it indicates that the blood’s pressure is sufficient to raise the mercury column to a height of 120 millimeters.
How To Measure Your Blood Pressure
There are two ways to measure your blood pressure which includes the traditional method and the modern method. Let’s look at the two methods and how they’re carried out.
Traditional method
The auscultatory method is typically used by doctors to take blood pressure readings. The doctor uses a sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff) and a stethoscope to measure systolic and diastolic pressure. First, the doctor slips the cuff onto the patient’s upper arm and inflates it such that the pressure exceeds the expected systolic pressure. This pressure restricts the blood flow in the arm.
Following that, the doctor deflates the cuff and inserts the stethoscope over the brachial artery, which is located at the front of the elbow. The Korotkoff sound should be heard as soon as blood returns to the arteries. This sound signifies systolic pressure, which is then recorded.
The diastolic pressure is noted once the blood flow in the arteries returns to normal. The korotkoff sound continues until the arteries are completely open and the blood flow is stable. The korotkoff sound then fades, indicating diastolic pressure.
Modern method
Technology has resulted in numerous advances, particularly in the healthcare business, where automated blood pressure monitors have been developed.
This includes a digital display screen and a detachable arm cuff. The reading method is the same as the traditional way in that the cuff is inflated, but now using the start button on the monitor. It then deflates, and the systolic and diastolic pressure readings are displayed in separate rows.
The digital display screen has a row that indicates the pulse in minutes. The pulse in the minutes row represents your heart rate, which is the number of beats per minute.
Conclusion
Blood pressure, as the name implies, refers to the force exerted by circulating blood against the body’s arteries. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Maintaining normal blood pressure is important for preventing illnesses such as heart disease and stroke.
There are two components of blood pressure readings; systolic pressure, and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the maximum force exerted on the artery walls during heart contraction. While the diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting between beats. Traditional and modern methods are the main methods used to measure blood pressure.
