Why Is The Heart Important

Why Is The Heart Important ?

Why is the heart important? If you are pondering over this question, then you should know that without this organ it is not possible for a person to survive. It is this organ that is responsible for pumping oxygen and nutrients to other organs and parts of the body. If this organ does not pump or stops pumping, the body will shut down and the person will die. Hence, the heart is considered to be important.

This organ is actually a muscle, and researchers claim that it is the most diligent muscle that the body has. It works extremely hard. The pumping action of the heart has the ability to produce sufficient power to run a truck over a distance of twenty miles in a single day. Each week, the heart contracts around seven hundred thousand times and during its life time, it contracts more than 2,500 million times.

The heart is responsible for delivering blood, which contains nutrients and oxygen, every second to the different parts of the body. And, then it transports back the deoxygenated blood back to the lung via a network of blood vessels. The organ hardly requires any maintenance and care and yet it is the most reliable delivery system in the world.

Strangely this muscular organ is rather small in size. It is as big as a closed fist, consisting for 4 chambers. The upper chambers are known as atria, while the two lower chambers are called ventricles. Each side of the heart has a different role. While most people think that the heart is located on the left side of the chest cavity, it is actually situated somewhat in the middle of the chest. However, on the left side, the heart beat can be heard more distinctly and hence people assume that the heart is located on the left. The shape of the heart is more like a pear.

Also, most people called the heart the center of their emotions. Unfortunately, it is not. Emotions are controlled by the brain and not the heart. Its main function is supplying oxygen and nutrients to all the other parts of the body.

The heart is just like a pump that pumps out water. However, there is one difference. Between each pumping action, the heart relaxes. This alternation of contraction and relaxation is regulated by the sinuatrial node, which is an in-built pacemaker. The node sends electrical impulses and is located above the right atrium. It has valves in each chamber that ensure that blood does not flow backwards.

When the heart relaxes, the blood enters the right atrium and ventricle. This phase is known as diastole. When the heart contracts, the blood leaves the left atrium and ventricle and is know as systole. The action of contraction and relaxation occurs in a synchronized manner and the heart is designed in such a way that at any given moment, each atrium and its corresponding ventricle have the exact amount of blood.

The design of the heart also allows it the pump faster, as is the case when a person does exercise, or pumps at a slower pace, as what happens is when the person is resting. When a person is physically active, the muscles require more oxygen. This demand is met with the heart increasing the amount of blood that is pumped to the muscles. As more blood is pumped out of the heart, it also receives more oxygenated blood from the lungs. On an average, the heart pumps out around 4.5 liters of blood every minute.

The entire functioning of the heart is governed by the autonomic nervous system. The brain stem has a special area that controls the heart and this area is referred to as the cardiac center.

The design and performance of the heart are perfect, and even scientists have not been able to replicate the design or the performance in laboratory settings. The heart is considered an important organ because without it the survival of the body is impossible.

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Why Is The Heart Important

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Copyright 2012 Onlinemedicinetips.com , All rights reserved.
( Why Is The Heart Important )