2. About Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure level is determined in the circulatory center of your brain.
Your nervous system allows your body to adapt or alter blood pressure in response
to different situations. Your body alters your pulse or heart rate and the width of
blood vessels through changes in muscles in the walls of blood vessels.
Your blood pressure reading is highest when your heart pumps or ejects blood.
This stage is called your
systolic blood pressure.
Your blood pressure is lowest when the heart rests (in-between beats). This is
called your
diastolic blood pressure.
It is critical to maintain blood pressure values within a “normal” range in order
to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Increased blood pressure values (various
forms of hypertension) have associated long and medium term health risks.
These risks concern the arterial blood vessels of your body, which are endangered
due to constriction caused by deposits in the vessel walls (arteriosclerosis). A
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