| A diastole is the time period between
two consecutive contractions of the heart muscle.
During this time between
contractions of the heart muscle, the heart relaxes, allowing its chambers
to fill with blood which will then be pumped around the body by the next
contraction of the heart muscle.
More specifically, the term "diastole" is usually used to refer to a
"ventricular diastole", which has a duration of approx. 0.5 seconds in
the case of a normal heart rate of about 70 beats per minute. However,
during periods od exertion (e.g. while participating in sports), this
period shortens as the heart rate increases. Use the following links for further information about the structure
of the human heart, and the functions
of the human heart.
Additional information about the human vascular system is also available
from the Topics
& Articles Section of this website.
|
