Which statement best describes the cardiac cycle in relation to blood pressure?

The statement that best describes the cardiac cycle in relation to blood pressure is that it consists of periods of contraction and relaxation. During the cardiac cycle, the heart alternates between two main phases: systole and diastole. Systole refers to the contraction phase where the heart pumps blood out into the arteries, causing a rise in blood pressure known as systolic pressure. On the other hand, diastole is the relaxation phase when the heart fills with blood and pressure in the arteries decreases, leading to diastolic pressure.

This cyclical nature of contraction and relaxation directly influences both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as it encompasses the complete sequence of heart activities that dictate how blood flows through the cardiovascular system. Understanding this relationship is crucial in blood pressure measurement and interpretation, as fluctuations in blood pressure are indicative of the heart's performance throughout the cardiac cycle.