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BLOOD PRESSURE – CLIENT LEAFLET
Blood pressure explained Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. The job of the heart is to pump the blood around the body, first to the lungs to collect oxygen and then the blood returns to the heart to be pumped around the body.
The vessels which carry the blood away from the heart are generally called arteries. The vessels which return the blood to the heart are called veins.
Blood pressure is higher in the arteries because the heart has to pump healthily in order to circulate this oxygen rich blood around the whole body.
The blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). A blood pressure reading has two numbers for example 120/80. The first number refers to the systolic pressure – this is the peak pressure in the arteries when the heart first begins the contracting phase of the heart pumping (in this case 120). The second is called the diastolic pressure – this is the minimum pressure which occurs near the end of the relaxing phase (in this case 80).
The table below shows the classification of blood pressure for adults
Blood pressure and lifestyle Blood pressure varies constantly particularly in response to various lifestyle factors like stress, fitness level, and the health of your arteries.
Poor nutrition, smoking and lack of physical activity can all lead to a deterioration in your arteries where a plaque-like substance builds up on the inside of your arteries and makes it harder for the blood to get through. This in turn increases the pressure on the walls of the arteries as the blood
Blood pressure and physical activity
Click on the buttons below to see the effect of stress and atherosclerosis on artery diameter and subsequent blood pressure.
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tries to squeeze through a reduced space. Regular physical activity can play a very important part in helping your heart (and body) work more efficiently.
Click on the buttons to see what happens to the blood pressure under each situation.
Resources l Blood Pressure Association – Booklet on
physical activity and blood pressure http://bit.ly/OUbi4 l British Heart Foundation – a range of resources on heart health and physical activity www.bhf.org.uk l Register of Exercise Professionals – if you would like to find an appropriately qualified exercise professional visit the REPs website at www.exerciseregister.org
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