Maintaining a healthy heart is vital for a long, productive and fit life. Heart disease is one of the biggest killers worldwide, and the biggest killer in the United States. Armed with a little knowledge about how your heart works, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease and problems in later life.
Pump it up
The average heart pumps 2.4 oz (70 ml) in a heartbeat, which is 1.3 gallons (5 l) per minute. This equals 1,900 gallons (7,200 l) a day, and almost 700,000 gallons (2,628,000 l) a year---an incredible 48 million gallons (184,086,000l ) by the time you're 70.
Heart Beat
Your heart beats an average of 72 times per minute, which is more than 100,000 times in 24 hours. To look at it on a bigger scale, that's almost 38 million times in a year, and 2.5 billion times by the time you're 70.
The Anatomy
The heart has three layers: the endocardium, which is the smooth inside lining; the myocardium, which is the middle layer of the heart muscle; and the surrounding fluid-filled sac known as the pericardium. It also has four chambers, two on each side, known as the right and left atriums, and right and the left ventricles.
The right and left sides of the heart have separate functions. The heart uses the right side to collect blood poor in oxygen and pump it to the lungs. When it is in the lungs, it picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. The heart then uses the left side to collect the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pump it through the body. This is how the cells in your body get the oxygen they need for their job.
Coronary Arteries
The heart has coronary arteries inside it that carry blood, and it is these that are clear in a healthy heart and blocked in an unhealthy one. There are also veins inside the heart that collect the oxygen-poor blood to be pumped through again.
Bad History
Even if you've already had problems with your heart, such as a heart attack or a coronary heart disease diagnosis, you can still reduce your risk of future problems with a healthy attitude to food and exercise.
Don't Smoke
If you smoke, give it up now. The smoke and chemicals from cigarettes engulf your heart and restrict its function. The American Heart Association estimates smoking-related cardiovascular diseases causes 135,000 deaths a year. They also believe smokers could be three times more likely to die from coronary heart disease than non-smokers.
Look to the Future
To keep your heart healthy into old age, get regular blood pressure checks and know how keeping your cholesterol levels low positively affects your heart health.
Wired for Sound
If you listen to your heart through a stethoscope, you'll hear a lub-dub, lub-dub sound. The 'lub' is caused by the acceleration and deceleration of blood and the vibration of the heart at the same time as the closure of the tricuspid and mitral valves. The 'dub' is caused by the same acceleration and deceleration of blood and vibrations, but this time at the same time of closure of the pulmonic and aortic valves.
