What’s the heart?
The heart is an organ made up of muscle tissue. It is part of the cardiovascular system and its job is to pump blood with oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body.
Inside, it is divided into 4 parts, two above and two below. The two upper cavities are called atria and they receive blood. Each atrium is filled with blood from a different part of the body, but I’ll tell you about that in a moment.
The two lower cavities are called ventricles, and their function is to push the blood out of the heart.
The atria are separated from the ventricles by valves, whose function is to prevent the blood from flowing backwards. If we divide the heart from top to bottom, the left side of the heart is separated from the right side by a septum, a muscular wall.
Wait, left side and right side? Why is this necessary?
Well, because the heart is responsible for two types of blood circulation: systemic circulation, which sends blood throughout the body, and pulmonary circulation. On the left side of the heart, there is blood loaded with oxygen, and on the right side, there is blood loaded with carbon dioxide (CO2).
The left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs. This blood is then sent to the left ventricle, which in turn sends it to the rest of the body through a very important vessel in our body, the aorta artery.
On the other hand, the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood, which returns to the heart from the rest of the body via the vena cava. This blood contains CO2, which needs to be eliminated. How? Exactly! Through the lungs.
Therefore, the right atrium sends blood with CO2 to the right ventricle, which pushes this blood to the lungs to expel carbon dioxide through respiration.
And now… aren’t we missing someone? If the heart sends blood to the rest of the body through the aorta… who sends blood to the heart?
How does the heart eat and breathe?
For that, we have the coronary arteries. These arteries deliver oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the cells of the heart. And to collect blood with waste and CO2, we have the coronary veins.
The heart must receive blood, as without it, we experience what we know as a heart attack.
Did you know that the symptoms of a myocardial infarction are different in men and women?
The myocardium is the muscle that forms the heart. On the other hand, an infarction is the death of tissue when it stops receiving blood.
So, a myocardial infarction is when many heart cells die because they stop receiving blood. In the heart, this dead tissue is replaced by a scar, and that area can no longer contract and function properly, weakening the heart.
This causes a series of symptoms that we’ve all heard about for many years: Chest pain or discomfort that can radiate to the shoulder, arm (usually the left arm), neck, or jaw., sweating, nausea, and difficulty breathing.
Actually, in recent years, there has been increasing awareness that the symptoms of a heart attack in women may not be as clear-cut as in men and can vary widely.
As in men, the most common symptom of a heart attack in women is pain or discomfort in the chest.
But other symptoms can appear. For example, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting or back pain.
Let’s go to the important things, how do we prevent problems with our hearts?
- Healthy eating: As always, plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, wholegrain food, nuts, and olive oil, and avoid fast food and processed food such as snacks and sodas with lots of salt, sugar, and low-quality fat such as trans fat. All of this will help us in reducing the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high levels of fat in our blood.
- Increase our physical exercise: At least 75 minutes a week of intense physical activity or 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity such as walking at a high pace. Do at least 2 sessions of strength training per week.
- Don’t smoke.
- Don’t drink alcohol.
- Sleep well.
- Take care of our mental health: Cardiac activity is affected by nervous stimuli and hormones, and both of them vary depending, among other things, on our mental health (stress, anxiety..). One of the biggest enemies of our heart is stress. You can practice relaxation techniques or attend a psychological consultation if you need it.
- Prevent infections as some of them can affect the heart.
I hope you liked this post and, don’t forget to take care of your heart.
References:
Book: Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. Tortora.
Images:
https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/latido-del-coraz%c3%b3n-pulso-coraz%c3%b3n-1892826/
https://pixabay.com/es/photos/ataque-al-coraz%c3%b3n-enfermedad-salud-7479253/
https://pixabay.com/es/photos/verduras-produce-saludable-br%c3%b3coli-1238252/
