In all parts of our body, the heart is undoubtedly the most delicate and must. Death will occur very quickly if it stops pumping blood to the body and delivers vital oxygen to other organs, including the brain.
Apart from its importance, most of us do not pay so much attention to the health of our hearts until we are compelled to do so when it is often too late. And then to keep a check in the heart for a normal measure of our blood pressure would not be easy.
As with most things in life, if the heart starts to experience problems, there will be warning signs that give us time to take corrective measures, and these warning signs often come in the form of unusually high or low blood pressure.
The heart's key role is to take fresh oxygen, pump it through the arteries, and then pass it through a series of small blood vessels to all parts of the body. When cardiac contracts force blood vessels, the pressure is on the walls of the arteries. Then, when the heart relaxes and its chambers replenish, it is ready to pump, and the arterial pressure falls off.
By measuring these two levels of stress, we can indicate how well the heart is pumping blood to the body and thus see if it works normally or not.
Until recently, it was necessary to visit a doctor's office to measure your blood pressure. The doctor would put a nail in your upper arm almost to the level of the heart. He then places his stethoscope over the brachial vein as he runs closer to the surface of the skin inside your arm at the elbow and continues to insert the cortex.
As the spleen is full, it tightens in the arm, preventing blood from flowing into the brachial tract. The pressure in the chest, indicated by a mercury manometer attached to the bag, is released slowly and again when the blood begins to flow through the vein and when the doctor feels like a sound "emitting" with his stethoscope it is known. This is when the pressure in a cow is equal to the pressure in the artery as the heart pumps blood through it and is known as systolic pressure.
The doctor then removed the pressure from the index finger and monitored the volume of blood pumped through the artery until no sound was detected. At this point, the manometer shows pressure on the artery as the heart relaxes and fills and is ready to pump again. This lower pressure is known as diastolic pressure.
Blood pressure will vary from person to person. It will rise and fall within each of us depending on various factors such as the time of day, our activity level, whether we feel depressed, our general health condition, and whether or not we are currently taking certain medications.
For the average person rested, however, the systolic blood pressure will be about 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury), and the diastolic blood pressure will be about 80 mm Hg. As an indication of the degree of variability between individuals and within an individual, the normal range of systolic pressure is considered to be 90 - 135 mm Hg. The average range of diastolic pressure is 50 - 90 mm Hg.
If your blood pressure falls outside this study, your doctor will need to investigate further to determine why your blood pressure is abnormally high or abnormally low.
Since most of us do not visit a doctor regularly, and we only get into surgery where necessary, it can often be months, or even years, between blood pressure tests. We may happily walk around unaware that we have a time bomb exploding inside us.
Today, however, a variety of easy-to-use and low-cost blood pressure monitors can be used in our homes and have no reason to overlook our most important organ.
So, before a disaster strikes you or one of your loved ones, why not take a few minutes to review the list of available blood testers and purchase some peace of mind.
You must be logged in to post a comment.