Why is it called diastolic?
Diastole (pronounced /daɪˈæstəliː/) is the time during a heart beat when the heart fills with blood after a contraction. The contraction of the heart is called systole and is the opposite of diastole. The term diastole comes from the Greek word διαστολη. This means expanding or opening.
What diastole means?
Diastole is defined by the following characteristics: Diastole is when the heart muscle relaxes. When the heart relaxes, the chambers of the heart fill with blood, and a person’s blood pressure decreases.
What is the normal range for diastolic?
Normal blood pressure for most adults is defined as a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80. Elevated blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure between 120 and 129 with a diastolic pressure of less than 80.
What is the diastolic pressure?
The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. If the measurement reads 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, you would say, “120 over 80,” or write, “120/80 mmHg.”
Can diastolic blood pressure be too low?
Most doctors consider blood pressure too low only if it causes symptoms. Some experts define low blood pressure as readings lower than 90 mm Hg systolic or 60 mm Hg diastolic. If either number is below that, your pressure is lower than normal. A sudden fall in blood pressure can be dangerous.
What causes the diastolic to be high?
Those factors include diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, smoking, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), or a history of heart disease or a heart attack.
What is the natural pacemaker of the heart?
The sinus node is sometimes called the heart’s “natural pacemaker.” Each time the sinus node generates a new electrical impulse; that impulse spreads out through the heart’s upper chambers, called the right atrium and the left atrium (figure 2).
Why SA node is called natural pacemaker?
The sinus node continuously generates electrical impulses, thereby setting the normal rhythm and rate in a healthy heart. Hence, the SA node is referred to as the natural pacemaker of the heart.