The systems of the body are often taught separately to make understanding them easier, but none of the systems works independently: Each system requires cooperation from the others in order to function. This is especially true in the way that the cardiovascular and respiratory systems work together. These systems are monitored using heart rates and breathing rates.
Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart and all of its associated vessels. The job of the cardiovascular system is to continually pump blood through the body to supply the oxygen needed to function.
Heart Rate
Heart rate is the number of times a heart beats per minute as it pumps the blood to the body. The heart rate fluctuates constantly and is the most convenient, and accurate, method of measuring how hard the body is working. The average heart rate at rest is between 65 and 75 beats per minute in adults.
Respiratory System
The respiratory system is made up lungs and fibrous tubes that carry oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of the body. The tissues of the body require oxygen to function correctly, and the respiratory system transfers the oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream and the cardiovascular system.
Breathing Rate
The breathing, or respiratory, rate is the number of breaths taken in a given amount of time, usually one minute. Like the heart rate, the breathing rate fluctuates regularly, but the average number of breaths is 12 to 20 per minute in adults.
Linear Relationship
At rest, the body's tissues require little oxygen because very little work is being done. As the body increases its workload by moving, the body tissues require more oxygen. In order to deliver the extra oxygen, the heart speeds it rate to transfer the oxygen through the blood. As the heart increases, more oxygen is needed to satisfy the new demand. To answer the need of more oxygen, the breathing rate increases in order to supply the extra oxygen to the lungs, then the heart, and throughout the body. As the workload decreases, the oxygen demand from the body decreases. The heart and breathing rates both decline until more work is done or until the body has returned to it's resting state.
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