blood pressure

/ˌblʌd ˈprɛʃər/

/bləd ˈpreʃə/

Other forms: blood pressures

Blood pressure is the force your heart uses to send blood pumping through your body. It’s one of the key vital signs that doctors use to measure your health.

When it comes to blood pressure, you can think of your arteries as water hoses and your heart as a pump. Blood pressure tells us how hard the heart pumps blood through those hoses. It’s shown as two numbers: one for when the heart beats and one for when it rests. Factors such as stress, physical activity, and even the foods you eat can affect your blood pressure throughout the day.

Definitions of blood pressure

1. noun

   the pressure of the circulating blood against the walls of the blood vessels; results from the systole of the left ventricle of the heart; sometimes measured for a quick evaluation of a person's health
   “adult blood pressure is considered normal at 120/80 where the first number is the systolic pressure and the second is the diastolic pressure”

   types:

   systolic pressure

   the blood pressure (as measured by a sphygmomanometer) during the contraction of the left ventricle of the heart

   diastolic pressure

   the blood pressure (as measured by a sphygmomanometer) after the contraction of the heart while the chambers of the heart refill with blood

   arterial pressure

   the pressure of the circulating blood on the arteries

   venous pressure

   the pressure exerted on the walls of the veins by the circulating blood

   type of:

   force per unit area, pressure, pressure level

   the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)

   vital sign

   sign of life; usually an indicator of a person's general physical condition