| | Definition: | | The pressure of the blood in the main arteries which rises and falls as the muscles of the body cope with varying demands (e.g. exercise, stress, sleep). There are two types of pressure that are measured: 1) systolic pressure, created by the contraction of the heart muscle pushing blood into the vessels, and 2) diastolic pressure, when the heart is at rest between beats. A reading of 120/80 is said to be the normal range. Blood pressure that is too high (hypertension) can cause health problems such as heart attacks and strokes. |
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