Hypertension is one of the leading cardiovascular disorders in the world.
A normal blood pressure should read 120/80 mmHg.
Higher values will normally indicate the presence of hypertension.
There are several factors that can affect your blood pressure.
Knowing these basics will lead to a better understanding and awareness on how you can effectively use measures for cardiovascular health.

• Blood vessel length: the longer your blood vessels are, the higher blood pressure it is required for blood to reach all the distal parts of your body, especially all the vital organs.
  One major factor that can affect the length of your blood vessel is added fat.
  An increase in fat tissue has a relative increase in blood vessel length, making it necessary for your heart to increase the pressure of pushing blood through each vessel.
  
• Blood volume: the more blood you have in the body, the harder your heart has to pump to prevent blood from pooling in an area, especially in the cardiac chambers.
  The very thing that can affect blood volume is salt.
  Where salt goes, water follows.
  Nothing attracts water better than sodium.
  The more sodium you consume, the more you will retain water.
  Excess water that is circulating in the body can result to increased blood volume, and in effect, high blood pressure.
  
• Blood viscosity: the thicker your blood is, the higher the pressure necessary for maintained blood flow.
  Diabetes is an example of a condition in which the blood is saturated with too much glucose, causing a disturbance in the consistency of the blood.
  This is why most diabetics often have hypertension as a complication of having too much sugar in the blood.
  
• Blood vessel diameter: your blood flows through your blood vessels through a cavity called a lumen.
  The size of this lumen is very important for any decrease in size can result to hypertension.
  Smaller lumen would require a higher pressure of blood.
  It is quite similar to a garden hose blocked by a finger so that you could water plants that are out of your reach.
  The size of the lumen is affected by two things: hardening (arteriosclerosis) and blockage (atherosclerosis).
  Arteriosclerosis can result from several things; one of the most common is cigarette smoking.
  Cigarettes have a compound called nicotine.
  Nicotine is a very potent vasoconstrictor, causing the blood vessel walls to constrict and harden, resulting to a decreased diameter of the lumen.
  Atherosclerosis is the formation of plaque deposits caused by low-density lipoproteins or bad cholesterol.
  Once cholesterol binds itself to the blood vessel wall, more and more cholesterol will stick to it effectively causing a blockage in an artery.
  This condition is very dangerous for it can result to a formation of an aneurism.
  

Now that you have understood the factors that can affect your blood pressure, always see to it that you remain healthy.
Decrease your intake of salt and saturated fat.
Keep yourself fit by losing weight and engaging in a fitness routine.
It is easier to prevent hypertension rather than to manage high blood pressure.