Blood pressure is a measurement of the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels.
Low blood pressure can make it difficult for all your tissues to get blood.
High blood pressure (hypertension) can move blood with too much force.
Your arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to all the tissues and organs in your body.
What Is High Blood Pressure in Physiology?
High blood pressure is an increased force on your blood vessel walls.
This can happen for many reasons.
If your cholesterol is high, your blood vessels can narrow or become blocked.
As a result, your heart increases the force it uses to pump blood through these smaller vessels.
Certain medications, your diet, weight, and how much exercise you get can alsoaffect your blood pressure.
There are two parts to your blood pressure measurement:systolic and diastolic.
Below is a list ofblood pressure readingsand how they are categorized by risk.
While these are considered normal blood pressure levels and limits, these blood pressure ranges change with age.
In older adults, the normal range of blood pressure is usually 130/80 instead of 120/80.
It also puts too much pressure on the tissues at the receiving end of the blood.
Most people with stage 2 hypertension require medication tocontrol their blood pressure.
Certain medications used to lower blood pressure may not be appropriate to use alongside some conditions.
However, numerous studies suggest treating hypertension in these populations is still necessary and appropriate.
Nocturnal hypertension may be related to other conditions, such as sleep apnea, requiring specific medications at bedtime.
One example is after a stroke.
However, if you are not treated with t-PA, a healthcare provider may recommend permissive hypertension.
This means your systolic blood pressure could increase to 220 without treatment.
National Institutes of Health.Physiology of circulation.
UMass Chan Medical School.Brain circulation.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Know your risk for high blood pressure.
National Institutes of Health.High blood pressure and older adults.
American Heart Association.Understanding blood pressure readings.
American Heart Association.How high blood pressure can lead to kidney damage or failure.
American Heart Association.Health threats from high blood pressure.
Dowd CM, Gallagher B, Kessler CS, Svingos R.Asymptomatic hypertensive urgency at a VA emergency department.Fed Pract.
2018;35(3):33-39.
2022 Mar;79(3):e70].Hypertension.
2022;79(2):e21-e41.
2022;67:1604452. doi:10.3389/ijph.2022.1604452.
Pract.March 20223;5:12. doi:10.1186/s42466-023-00238-8
American Heart Association.Types of blood pressure medications.
