Rise and Fall
Contrary to what some may believe, variations in blood pressure and general rises and falls are normal and completely healthy. Blood works to cater to the needs of the body. When there is more need, pressure may go up, and once that need is relieved, pressure falls down again. Additionally, pressure can shoot up due to high amounts of activity, or simply stress. When at rest however, a healthy person has blood pressure that maintains a more or less stable state that doesn't highly fluctuate.
Heart and Arterioles
Blood pressure works by pushing blood around in the body and moving it into the circulatory system and arteries. This pushing occurs thanks to the pumping of the heart, which shoots the blood along its path. Ultimately the blood enters the arterioles. The arterioles directly can cause a raise in blood pressure, because it is the arterioles that monitor and change the amount of blood flow by expanding or shrinking back down. When the arterioles remain in a contracted state for too long, high blood pressure occurs.
Problems
If blood pressure gets too high for too long, it puts the person at high risk for either stroke and/or heart disease. High blood pressure may also lead to the bursting of arteries, resulting in a hemorrhage. Conversely, bulging of the arteries may occur, which can result in an aneurysm. The problem with high blood pressure is that there are no advance symptoms to trace and thus no proper preparation allowed (at least in the vast majority of cases), and when the heart is forced to pump harder to compensate for a problem, over time the heart may become enlarged and its ability to pump blood will decrease. Kidney disease is also linked to high blood pressure. The only time high blood pressure can be traced is in a small minority of patients (roughly 10%), in which case a number of causes have been designated, among them gland tumors, diabetes, birth control pills, pregnancy, or simple heredity. Still, outside of these cases, blood pressure problems remain a complete mystery, although people who stay active have a 20 to 50 percent smaller risk of suffering from blood pressure.
Measurement
Blood pressure can be used as a benchmark for the functioning of the circulatory system. Blood pressure is measured by mercury in millimeters by a special instrument known as a sphygmomanometer, and there are two measurements made-a high point and a low point. The low point occurs when the heart relaxes and fills with blood provided by circulation, and is known as diastole. The high point occurs when the heart pumps blood into the body's circulation via contracting, and is known as systole. Blood pressure between people is roughly the same, and there is little difference between the pressures of healthy individuals.
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