Why do we need an appropriate Blood Pressure ?

Blood Pressure related disorders like Hypertension is a common lifestyle disease found in most of the elderly people. We all know that blood carries oxygen, glucose and other nutrients to all body parts. But have you ever wondered that why do we need an appropriate blood pressure. You will get an insight into your body and know how your body works by the end of this article.

Importance of Blood Pressure in our body

Blood is necessary for every cell in our body, but it can't flow in our body without appropriate pressure. Speed and pressure of our blood is highest in aorta, which is the very first recipient of blood pumped by heart. On the other hand in capillaries, the pressure and speed is lowest. Blood flows from  the point of high pressure to low pressure. 

Even biology of our body is working with the laws of physics and chemistry. Pressure, speed and temperature of blood, all are happening in coordination with each other.

Elasticity of the walls of arteries maintains the blood pressure throughout the body. Otherwise it will fall too quickly and blood won't reach all parts of body. Arteries can increase blood pressure in any part of body by constricting themselves. Apart from them some muscles near the beginning of capillaries can also control blood flow in them. We will cover this topic in detail in our next article. 

Blood Pressure and Body Temperature

Some studies have revealed that an increase in room temperature decreases blood pressure, while decrease in room temperature increases blood pressure. We know that that our body needs to maintain an optimum temperature of 37° C for all metabolic activities to work properly. Vasodilatation, the process that widens the blood vessels to decrease blood pressure, is used to cool down the body. Similarly Vasoconstriction, the process that narrows the blood vessels to increase blood pressure, is used to increase the body temperature.

Role of Blood Pressure in delivering oxygen to body

As you know that our lungs fill oxygen in our blood and take back carbon dioxide which is exhaled in this process. Blood pressure plays an important role in this process. Inside our lungs there are air sacs surrounded by capillaries, which are so narrow than one one red-blood-cell can pass through it at a time. Here gaseous exchange takes place and Hemoglobin on RBC get rid of carbon-dioxide and takes oxygen. A similar gaseous exchange takes place near every cell of the body through capillaries. Proper amount of blood pressure is required in these capillaries for this gaseous exchange to take place.

Lack of oxygen level in body is often noticed in people suffering from low-blood-pressure, as proper gaseous exchange can't take place in lungs and also at cellular level. 

Role of Blood Pressure in delivering nutrients to body

Just as we need proper blood pressure for gaseous exchange in capillaries, similarly it is also required for nutrients delivery. Appropriate amount of blood pressure is required for nutrients to pass through the semi-permeable membrane of blood capillaries. High or low blood pressure disturbs this process.

Proper blood pressure for Kidney function

Our kidneys are filters of our body. They filter out the waste material by filtering the blood. There are one million nephrons in each kidney with bunch of blood capillaries inside every nephron, where actual filteration takes place. It needs appropriate amount of blood pressure for this function. Our kidneys produce a hormone called aldosterone, but if kidney is itself damaged due to high blood pressure then it affects the regulation of this hormone and patient falls into a deteriorating loop. High blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure.

Blood is the main medium in our body through with not just oxygen and nutrients travel but even hormones and immunity functions happen through it. Blood pressure plays an important role in proper flow and delivery. So keeping a healthy pressure is essential for a healthy and long life. Stay Healthy, Stay fit and measure your blood pressure at regular intervals to understand what your body needs.