Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.

• A. During systole
• B. True
• C. Always increasing
• D. False

Answer: (B)

Understanding what diastolic pressure represents in the arterial pressure cycle is essential. It is the arterial pressure during the heart’s relaxation phase (diastole) when the ventricles are filling. Because the heart is not contracting then, the pressure falls from the higher systolic value to a lower trough, but it doesn’t drop to zero thanks to the elastic recoil of the arteries and the continuous flow through the systemic circulation. That minimum pressure is what diastolic pressure measures. The statement is true. It isn’t during systole (that’s when pressure is at its peak), it isn’t always increasing (pressure rises and falls with each heartbeat), and it isn’t false. In healthy adults, diastolic pressure is typically around 60–80 mmHg, while systolic is around 90–120 mmHg, with variation by individual factors.