What does diastolic blood pressure measure?

Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed between beats. This is when the heart fills with blood, and the pressure is at its lowest point. Understanding this measurement is crucial as it helps assess the overall cardiovascular health of an individual. A normal diastolic reading indicates that the heart is adequately filling and that there is not excessive pressure in the arteries during rest phases of the cardiac cycle.

In contrast, the other options refer to different aspects of heart function and blood pressure measurement. For instance, the pressure during heart contraction is referred to as systolic blood pressure, which occurs when the heart pumps blood out into the arteries. The average pressure throughout the cardiac cycle is often referred to as mean arterial pressure, and the first sound heard during measurement pertains to the Korotkoff sounds used to determine blood pressure readings. Each of these concepts plays a role in understanding cardiovascular dynamics, but diastolic blood pressure specifically deals with the relaxed state of the heart.