Our circulatory system consists of several components that act in harmony to transport nutrients and oxygen to our tissues and remove waste products. Let s quickly review the key components. Blood A fluid made up of blood cells and plasma that circulates throughout the body. Vessels Vessels are arteries and veins and can be thought of as the tubing which carries blood throughout our bodies. For the most part, arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen rich blood to our organs and tissues.
Veins carry the oxygen poor blood back to the heart.
Lungs Responsible for the oxygenation of our blood. Blood pressure refers to the pressure blood exerts against the walls of the main arteries in our bodies. The systolic pressure is the pressure in the vessels when the heart is pumping. It is important to point out that blood pressure readings can be different at varying times of the day and can be elevated with stress or anxiety. Therefore, the determination of a person being labeled as hypertensive is usually based on the average of three blood pressure readings taken on different days.