The heart is at the center of life. It can be compared to a car engine, without which it will not work. The heart is one of the critical organs that keeps us alive. It is also one of the few organs that do not stop working.
Despite the heart's complex structure, it is really a simple pump. And for it to work properly, it has to be in its best condition. Any blockage or weakness can affect its efficiency, so we need to take care of it to stay alive.
In the United States, heart illnesses are the leading cause of death. Every day, more than 2,000 people suffer from ailments related to the cardiovascular system, but this has shown a decrease over the past decades.
It is easier to prevent heart diseases than to cure them, and you need to know that many heart ailments just attack so suddenly without warning. By the time you get to be aware that you have a condition, it may already be too late.
So, you need to know how your heart works, and how to keep it healthy all the time to avoid the risks of developed heart ailments.
The HeartLocated behind the breastbone, the heart is positioned almost in between the lungs. However, most of its side is on the left lung. The size of the heart is roughly equivalent to the size of your fist.
The heart has three layers. The first one is the pericardium, and it is the outer part. It is a membrane sac that holds fluid. The second one is the myocardium—a muscular tissue, and the last one which is inside is the endocardium. It is a membrane that lines the inner part of the heart.
The Sound of the HeartThe heart makes a sound, and you can hear this if you put your ears on someone's chest, or if you use a stethoscope. It makes two sounds. The first one is due to the blood that it is pumping, and it has something to do with the speed of the blood that passes through it. The second sound is made because of the valves that open and close as the heart pumps.
The Heart's Valves and ChambersThere are four main sections in the heart. These are the right atrium, the right ventricle, the left ventricle, and the left atrium.
Each of these parts have a valve that opens and closes. They do so to let the blood flow in only one direction. So when one valve closes, the next one to it opens to continue the blood flow. One heartbeat is called a systole. It is during this beat that the blood is pumped out of the heart.
What happens here is that the two atria push the blood to the ventricles. As the ventricles receive the blood, they push it out. After pushing it out, it beats again to rest, and this is called a diastole.
The right side of the heart is what collects the blood. This blood is low in oxygen, and this blood passes through the lungs to collect oxygen. From the lungs, the blood flows back to the left side and it is pumped to the veins in the body.
The Blood Flow CycleThe blood flows through a long series of channels across the body.
The journey starts with the blood that has low oxygen, and it flows specifically into the veins of the heart called the superior vena cava. After that, they go through the right atrium, and then the blood goes through the tricuspid valve.
From there, the blood flows through the right ventricle, then to the pulmonic valve, to the pulmonary artery, and then to the lungs.
From the lungs, it will take oxygen, and then it will travel to the pulmonary veins, then to the left atrium, then to the mitral valve, and then into the left ventricle. From here, the blood moves to the aortic valve and then goes to the different parts of the body that needs oxygen.
Electricity and the HeartSince the heart works without stop, it needs power. This power comes from cells that produce electrical charges. These charges are used by the pacemaker cells, and when they receive this current, they make the heart contract for a very brief period of time.
At the right atrium is a pacemaker cell called the sinoatrial node. The power generated here go to the two atria, and then they move to the atrioventricular node. It then moves to an atrioventricular bundle, and this power or signal will split to the left and right areas of the heart.
Both of these sides will contract, and this entire process takes less than one second!
Of the sinoatrial node fails, there are back-up systems in the heart that will take over. However, a healthy heart needs the sinoatrial node to work properly because it generates electricity quickly. Even so, the body has other nerves that can change how this pacemaker can work, and they are all part of the autonomic nervous system.
Blood Supply and Heart DiseasesThe heart needs to pump blood efficiently. But to do so, the arteries must be from clogging. The heart, despite pumping blood, also needs blood to work. It does this through the coronary arteries. What they do is to take the oxygenated blood and pump it to the heart muscle.
Around 5% of your blood is used only to power your heart. And this process involves two coronary arteries on both sides of the heart. The veins found in your heart are used to collect blood low on oxygen, and then they are pumped out to the lungs for replenishment.
When these arteries are clogged, you will suffer from coronary artery disease. Usually, what blocks the arteries is cholesterol. If cholesterol forms, they stay in the artery walls, causing a blockage. If this happens, less blood is pumped, and it makes the heart work harder than it is supposed to.
In a condition called angina, and the muscles of the heart will start dying because they are not receiving enough blood and oxygen supply.
Heart StatisticsHere are some statistics that may interest you.
Take care of your heart. You must avoid foods that will cause cholesterol build yup, as they will block your arterial walls and cause angina. You should also strengthen the heart by doing cardio exercises, as these will make the hearts' muscles stronger, and therefore be able to sustain the work that it requires.