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Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against the walls of the
arteries. Systolic pressure occurs when the heart contracts; diastolic
pressure occurs when the heart expands. Blood pressure is measured
in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
Blood pressure is affected by many factors: age, weight, time of day,
activity level, climate, altitude and season. Certain activities can sig-
nificantly alter one’s blood pressure. Walking can raise systolic pres-
sure by 12 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 5.5 mmHg. Sleeping can
decrease systolic blood pressure by as much as 10 mmHg. Taking
your blood pressure repeatedly without waiting an interval of 5 min-
utes between readings, or without raising your arm to allow blood to
flow back to the heart, can also affect it.
In addition to these factors, beverages containing caffeine or alcohol,
certain medications, emotional stress and even tight-fitting clothes can
make a difference in the readings.
An individual’s blood pressure varies greatly from day to day and
season to season. For hypersensitive individuals, these variations are
even more pronounced. Normally, blood pressure rises during work
or play and falls to its lowest levels during sleep.
ABOUT BLOOD PRESSURE