Final answer:
Blood pressure is primarily influenced by cardiac output, blood volume, and vascular resistance. Cardiac output is the volume of blood heart pumps per minute, blood volume is the total blood in circulation, and vascular resistance refers to the resistance within blood vessels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Blood pressure is influenced by several variables, and three primary ones among them are cardiac output, blood volume, and vascular resistance. Cardiac output refers to the amount of blood the heart pumps in a minute and is determined by the heart rate and the stroke volume at each contraction.
Blood volume signifies the total amount of blood circulating within the blood vessels, which can directly affect the pressure exerted on vessel walls. Vascular resistance involves the internal resistance within the blood vessels that must be overcome to push blood through the circulatory system, affected by the diameter and flexibility of the vessels, as well as blood viscosity.
The optimal systolic blood pressure, or pressure during heartbeats, is 120 mmHg, while the optimal diastolic blood pressure, or pressure between heartbeats, is 80 mmHg.