What is Diastolic Blood Pressure?

• Posted: August 9, 2009
• |
• Author: dr_health
• |
• Filed under: Blood Pressure Info
• |
• Tags: blood pressure numbers, blood pressure readings, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure

Systolic blood pressure is the pressure of blood when the heart is in a relaxed state, in between heartbeats.

The force with which blood pushes against the walls of blood vessels at it makes its way through them is called blood pressure. A single blood pressure reading consists of two separate figures that represent the pressure of blood during two different times:

One when the heart is beating and the pressure during this time is called the systolic blood pressure.

Another when the heart is in a relaxed state and the pressure of blood during this time is called the diastolic blood pressure. Hence, diastolic pressure is a measure of the force with which the blood is pushing against the walls of blood vessels in between heartbeats.

How to Measure Diastolic Blood Pressure?

This is done by a device called the sphygmomanometer, which includes a cuff of fabric that is wrapped around the arm and is then inflated to a certain level. A gauge attached to the fabric cuff shows the pressure reading as air is slowly released from the cuff. Blood pressure can also be measured by other devices as well.

There are two numbers that make up a blood pressure reading and is written in the form of a fraction, with one number on top and the other at the bottom. For instance, the normal blood pressure of a person is 120/80. The number on the top is the systolic pressure and signifies the pressure in blood vessels at the instant the heart beats. Similarly, the number at the bottom is called diastolic pressure and is the pressure in the blood vessels in between two consecutive heartbeats.

Of these, diastolic pressure is prone to changes during the course of the day and can, in fact, show marked variation even during a span of a few minutes. There are several factors responsible for this and include:

• Posture
• Amount of exercise undertaken
• Stress and tension
• Use of nicotine and such compounds

Hence, general recommendation is to take several blood pressure reading taken several minutes apart, the average of which will be the correct blood pressure reading of the individual.

Also, when comparing an individual’s blood pressure reading to what is considered as normal, it is important to take into consideration the overall health, lifestyle, diet and the person’s family history before arriving into any conclusion. This, since the above mentioned factors can lead to blood pressure being above or below the range that is accepted as normal.

Importance of Diastolic Blood Pressure

The act of heart pumping blood causes pressure to be created in the blood vessels, which is the diastolic pressure and is enough to send blood to every part of the body. As for the blood vessels, the farther it moves away from the heart, the greater it branches off and tends to get smaller and smaller, much like a tree. One branch may feed the brain while another may go to the other organs like the kidney. Diastolic blood pressure ensures blood flows unhindered to every cell of the body so that cells get the oxygen and nutrients required for their normal functioning and waste products are removed.

When Diastolic Blood Pressure Becomes Low

Diastolic blood pressure is considered to be low if it gets below 60 and requires immediate corrective measures. Diastolic pressure becoming low also means cells are not getting the required oxygen and nutrients they need for their maintenance while waste products too are not getting eliminated the way it should be. The condition is known as hypotension or low blood pressure and may even cause the cell to die in the long run.

When Diastolic Blood Pressure Becomes High

Similarly, diastolic blood pressure is considered to be high if it gets anywhere above 90 and leads to a condition known as hypertension or high blood pressure. Hypertensive individuals are prone to have their small blood vessels to be effected the most if the condition persists for a prolonged period of time as these tend to get scarred, hardened and loose its elasticity. This may lead to them getting blocked or ruptured, causing organ damage or, in worst cases, their complete failure. This often happens as people advances in age no matter whether you’re having high blood pressure or not. However, persistent high blood pressure condition can make it happen earlier than it would have been, making it all the more important to maintain normal blood pressure consistently if you wish to eliminate the risk of hear attack, stroke or permanent organ damage.

Again, when the diastolic blood pressure remains between 80 and 89, then the condition is known as prehypertension.

Also, people tend to ignore high blood pressure and an estimated 1% of the population will stay away from medical care until symptoms becomes too severe. This is known as malignant hypertension and is characterized by diastolic blood pressure readings that may exceed 140mmHg. Symptoms associated with malignant high blood pressure includes:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness

In severe cases of malignant high blood pressure, immediate medical supervision often becomes necessary which may even involve emergency hospitalization, in order to bring blood pressure within normal limits and prevent bleeding in the brain or stroke.

Lowering High Diastolic Blood Pressure

Bringing about a change in lifestyle is often the first and foremost requirement towards bringing your blood pressure within normal limits. For they not only help restore normalcy of your blood pressure, it will also work great for improving your quality of life. Lifestyle changes that should be considered for bringing blood pressure under control includes:

• Weight loss
• Exercise
• A diet that is high on fruits and vegetables and includes less of cholesterol and fat
• Drastic reduction in salt consumption
• Consuming less alcohol

And if these lifestyle modifications do not prove to be enough, expert medical advice should be looked into.

• (0) Comments
• Permalink
• RSS 2.0
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•