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From the Fall 2003 Issue
Learning Center
LifeBeat Heart Basics
The more you know, the better off you are. To help you along, LifeBeat Online would like to offer some heart basics. Here, you'll find information about the heart and blood vessels. This information will help you communicate with your doctor.
Your Heart
The heart is the hardest-working muscle in your body. It is made up of four chambers. These chambers work together to pump blood full of oxygen to the rest of the body and to pump oxygen-poor blood to the lungs to get more oxygen.
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If your heart fails at this process, your organs would stop working because they wouldn't continually receive oxygen and nutrients. When you hear your heartbeat, when your heart is healthy, you should hear two thumps ("lubb-dubb").
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Your Blood Vessels
Blood flows through your body through tubes called blood vessels. Blood vessels carry blood to every part of your body, "dropping off" oxygen and nutrients and "picking up" waste products and carbon dioxide. Then the blood returns to the heart.
There are three types of blood vessels:
- Arteries carry blood with oxygen from your heart to your tissues and organs. The aorta is the main artery that takes blood from the heart to the body. Because arteries carry blood with oxygen, they appear red. Blood flows through arteries with great force so the walls of arteries are thicker than those of veins to protect against damage. Arteries branch into smaller blood vessels called capillaries.
- Capillaries are the tiniest vessels in the body, carrying blood to and from every cell in your body. Oxygen and nutrients pass right through the thin walls of the capillaries. Waste and carbon dioxide seep out. As the capillaries leave each cell, they merge with other capillaries and become veins.
- Veins carry the oxygen-poor blood back to your heart. Because the blood no longer has oxygen, veins appear blue.
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Your Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure is a measure of the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. When you have high blood pressure, your heart has to work harder to push blood through your arteries. High blood pressure can put you at risk for coronary artery disease.
Blood pressure is measured in two numbers—a higher number "over" a lower number. The bigger number (on top) is called the systolic pressure. It is a measure of the pressure when your heart is pumping. The smaller number (on the bottom) is called the diastolic pressure. It is a measure of the pressure when your heart is relaxing between beats.
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