Systolic Blood Pressure

Have you ever wondered why you feel a rush of blood in a heightened emotional state? Well, it is the blood pressure working in the body that makes you flushed with red. It is the force exerted by the circulating blood per unit area on the walls of the blood vessels. It is one of the main vital signs of a healthy body. The usual reference pertains to Brachial Arterial Pressure, that is, one of the major blood vessels in the upper right or left arm, which takes the blood away from the heart. Blood Pressure is of two types - Systolic and Diastolic and it is measured by an instrument called Sphygmomanometer. It is clinically reported in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

Systolic blood pressure comes from the word 'systole', which means the contraction of heart chambers. The heart chamber referred here is the left ventricle, although all the chambers of the heart experience systole and diastole in a timely manner. This action pushes the blood ahead through the cardiovascular system.

Systole is divided into three types:

Electrical and Mechanical: It involves the electrical activity stimulating the myocardium of the chambers of the heart. It generates an action which make the muscles contract. Mechanical contraction follows the electrical contraction which forces the blood through the heart.

Atrial Systole: This refers to the contraction of the myocardium of the left and right atria.

Ventricular Systole: When there is a contraction of the myocardium of the left and right ventricles, it is called a ventricular systole.

Diastolic blood pressure is the minimum pressure of the blood in the arteries, when the ventricles are relaxing after a systole. In short, it is the pressure of the blood measured when the ventricles and atria are relaxed, after a systole.

About Systolic Blood Pressure
It is the peak pressure of blood in the arteries, occurring towards the end of a cardiac cycle, when the ventricles are going through a contraction. A normal, healthy adult has a systolic blood pressure of 115-120, which is the standard everywhere. It is not permanent, and varies from one heartbeat to the other. It also varies in the case of drug consumption, exercise, stress and disease.

High blood pressure can be caused by hereditary factors, obesity, kidney failure and salt intake. In most cases, when it is said that hypertension is diagnosed, it refers to this pressure. In case of hypotension, the blood flow through the arteries and veins is lower than normal.

Low blood pressure is measured by symptoms and signs, rather than the number. It could be called relative, as the readings could vary from individual to individual even though the normal level falls between 80 and 120 . A fall in the systolic or diastolic pressure is enough to be termed as low blood pressure. If your systolic reading is below 115, in spite of the normal diastolic reading, it will be called low blood pressure.

Isolated Systolic Hypertension (ISH):
ISH occurs when the systolic reading is higher in relation to the normal diastolic reading. In the year 1993, ISH was defined as systolic blood pressure above 140 combined with normal diastolic pressure.

Usually, middle-aged people develop hypertension, but nowadays, it is even diagnosed in young people as well. Proper diet, exercise and regular checkups will keep these problems at bay.