Blood Pressure
Instructions:-
Take your blood pressure and the blood pressure of someone else. List both the systole and diastole. Define systole, diastole and list the ranges of excellent, good, fair and poor. How does blood pressure relate to the level of stress you and the other person are typically under?
Solution
Blood Pressure
Systole refers to the time the left ventricle takes to contract. As the heart contracts, there is pressure exerted on the artery. The maximum arterial pressure during the systole is called systolic pressure. Doctors usually measures systolic pressure to check any risk of hypertension. One is said to be within an excellent range if the systolic is below 120mmHg. The fair range, also called the pre-hypertension category, varies from 120 to 139mmHg. The poor range is above 139mmHg, where people are in the hypertension stage and ought to see a doctor (Larkin, 2007).
After the heart contracts, the next event is relaxation. The time spent when the heart is in the relaxation or dilation mode and the ventricles fill with blood is called diastole. As the heart relaxes, there is reduced pressure exerted on the arteries. The minimum pressure during the diastole is called diastolic pressure. Similar to the systolic, diastolic also has a list of ranges of excellent, fair, and poor. The excellent range is below 80mmHg, the fair range 80mmHg to 89mmHg, and the poor range above 80mmHg (Larkin, 2007).
Although
there is no indication, that stress can result in long-term high blood
pressure, during stressful situations, the blood pressure increases. This is
because the body releases hormones that result in the narrowing of veins and
thus the heart beating faster. My blood pressure was 118/80mmHg while that of my
friend was 121/80mmHg. This indicates that he was at a more stressful situation
than I was. One can control the level of stress through exercising three or
more times a week for thirty minutes. Exercise reduces the amount of hormones
produced through reducing stress, and thus reduced blood pressure (Hartfield,
2009).
References
Hatfield, F. (2009). Fitness: the complete guide. Carpinteria: International Sports Sciences Association.
Larkin, K. (2005). Stress and hypertension: examining the relation between psychological stress and high blood pressure. New Haven: Yale University Press.
