How Blood Pressure Works

Did you know? If you took out all your blood vessels and laid them end-to-end, you’d die (and the resultant testament to your odd way of dying would be 95,000 km long)?

That’s a silly (albeit true) fact, and as it turns out, not only is moving your blood around those 95,000 km of blood vessels quite a feat, but also, keeping the pressure constant while doing so is a truly remarkable accomplishment:

Under pressure

Your circulatory system contains about 95,000 kilometers of blood vessels, circulating roughly four to five liters of blood repeatedly to transport oxygen, glucose, and amino acids throughout your body, amounting to over 7,500 liters moved daily.

Now imagine if you had to move 7,500 liters along 95,000 km using cars, but with the caveat that you’re driving under the conditions of the 1994 movie “Speed”, that is to say, if you at any point get stuck in traffic, you die.

So, blood pressure must always be within a certain “Goldilocks zone”, to keep things moving without either stalling (heart failure) or exploding (hemorrhage), bearing in mind that a plaque rupture can create blood clots that block circulation, causing a heart attack if blood flow to your heart stops, or a stroke if blood flow to your brain is interrupted.

• How blood pressure works: blood pressure is the force blood exerts against vessel walls, peaking during systole when your heart contracts, and dropping during diastole when your heart rests between beats.
• Normal blood pressure range: a healthy reading is typically below 120/80 mmHg, with systolic pressure between 90–120 mmHg and diastolic pressure between 60–80 mmHg.
• What raises blood pressure: thicker blood, increased blood volume from salt-related water retention, and stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine can all increase pressure by making blood harder to move, or narrowing vessels.

Happily, despite constant pressure and (hopefully) billions of heartbeats over a lifetime, healthy arteries are elastic and have evolved to handle these demands effectively.

We just have to keep them that way!

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Take care!