The heart is the muscular organ at the center of the cardiovascular system. It is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body and delivering nutrients and oxygen.
Despite its small size, the heart must do a lot of work to be able to pump the liters of blood required for the proper functioning of the human system.
So that you are sure that you are doing the best to care for and protect your heart, know 6 surprising truths that make the heart can perform its functions within the body and how it can be affected even by emotions.
6 surprising truths from the heart
1. Work hard without resting
The heart of a baby begins to form from the fourth week of its development, from that moment it begins to work without resting. Some people believe that the heart pauses when sneezing, however that theory is not scientifically proven.
On the other hand, as incredible as it may seem, some research claims that a woman’s heart rate is faster than that of a man, since it can perform eight beats per minute. This means that, depending on gender, a person’s heart can beat about 100,000 times a day and 40 million times a year.
2. Has its own energy charge
The heart is so amazing that it does not require the other parts of the body to beat. In fact, if the heart is separated from the body for a few seconds, it will continue beating because it contains its own electrical supply.
This phenomenon occurs because the myocardium (the muscle of the heart), sends the electrical impulses that cause the heart to contract. The sinus node , also known as a “ natural pacemaker ”, also participates in this action.
3. It is a powerful blood pump
Although the heart is a small muscular organ, it is very powerful, as it has the ability to pump more than 300 liters of blood through the body every hour. That means that over the course of 75 years, the heart will be able to pump around 1 million barrels of blood.
4. Rapidly pumps blood to all cells in the body
In the human body there are 75 billion cells, and the heart is in charge of pumping blood to all of them except the corneas.
It is surprising that when the body is at rest, it takes the heart only six seconds for blood to flow from the heart to the lungs and back; eight seconds to go to the brain and back; and 16 seconds for it to go to the toes and vice versa.
5. Emotions can trigger cardiomyopathy
Despite being so powerful, the heart can be affected by emotions, such is the case of cardiomyopathy.
Cardiomyopathy is a disease that attacks the heart muscle, causing the heart to become larger, stiffer and thicker than it normally is. This disease is commonly known as ” broken heart syndrome .”
Research claims that emotional stress can cause these physical changes in the heart and trigger stress cardiomyopathy . This disease occurs when a stressful emotional event induces some symptoms similar to those of a heart attack such as shortness of breath and chest pain.
In addition to this, one study found that people who have lost a loved one have a higher risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation, or the development of an irregular heartbeat. Within the first year this risk is especially high among younger people and if the loss was sudden or unexpected.
Many people believe that emotions of pain alone trigger this type of illness, however, a recent study in the European Heart Journal found that happy events such as surprise parties or winning the lottery can put a sudden strain on the heart – a condition which has been dubbed ” happy heart syndrome “, which seems to mainly affect postmenopausal women.
6. Cold climates can affect the heart
When people are traveling through cold or stormy weather seasons, the heart begins to make a greater physical effort because the internal heat of the body begins to decrease.
The American Heart Association recommends that, to care for your heart, wear coats and hats in cold or windy climates to keep warm and keep your heart from working harder than normal.
Reference
- Paige Brettingen. 10 Crazy Cool Facts About Your Heart. For livestrong. [Revised March 2017]
