Blood Pressure - What is it?

We’ve all heard of it before and have some rough idea of what it means. It’s those two numbers, where the first one is bigger than the second one, it’s something to do with how the heart beats and pushes the blood around our body. As long as it around those magic numbers of 120/80 we don’t usually think too much about it.

There’s a whole lot more too it though, and this is where I think it’ll be great to have a bit of a discussion about why it is such an important measurement that we should all be more mindful of.

​What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure reflects the pressure within our heart and blood vessels (known as the circulatory system). The numbers show the pressure that is placed on our arteries to pump blood around our body. This number allows us to understand how hard our heart and blood vessels are needing to work. 

First of all, its important to know what the two numbers mean. The first number (usually the higher number) is our systolic blood pressure. This is the pressure in our blood vessels as the heart pushes out blood to travel around the body during each heartbeat. The seconds number (the lower number) is our diastolic blood pressure. This is the pressure from the heart in our blood vessels between our heart beats.

Why should we care if our blood pressure if high?
Our blood pressure constantly changes throughout the day, we have periods where it increases, and other times where it decreases. This can be due to a range of different things including activity, diet and stress. This is normal. We should however, be mindful if our blood pressure stays consistently high throughout the day, this is a sign that our circulatory system is under stress and working too hard. This can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. 

It's never too late to take action against high blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. With just a few lifestyle changes we can see a positive change in our blood pressure. If you want more information on what you can do to improve your blood pressure, book an appointment today. ​

Book now

​Keep a look out  for more information regarding blood pressure and how exercise can impact it this month as we continue to discuss heart health. ​