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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 significantly alter one' s blood
pressure. Walking can raise systolic pressure 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
minutes 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.
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