A healthy heart is a powerful muscular pump. It weighs anywhere from 200 to 425 grams (7 and 15 ounces) and is larger than your fist. In a typical life span, the human heart will beat over 2.5 billion times. It beats 100,000 times every day and pumps approximately 7.200 Liters (1,900 Gallons) of blood per day. Your heart is situated between your lungs, in between your chests, just behind and just in the direction of the breastbone to your left. A double-layered membrane known as the pericardium covers your heart in the shape of a sac. The oxygen-rich blood flows from your lungs and then flows into the heart. To perform, the heart requires a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen that it receives from the blood that circulates through coronary arteries.

Function

The circulatory system and your heart are the heart and circulatory system of your body. The circulatory system pumps blood through tissues, organs, and cells in your body, providing oxygen-rich nutrients and vitamins to each cell while removing carbon dioxide and other waste products produced by these cells. The oxygen-rich blood flows through your body from the heart remainder of your body through an intricate network of arterioles, arteries, and capillaries. Blood that is deficient in oxygen is transported back to the heart via veins.

YOUR GUIDE TO A Healthy Heart

–Upper body

–Left lung

–Right lung

–Lower body

The ventricle on the left is by far the largest and most powerful chamber inside your heart. It can push fluid through your aortic valve and into the entire body. The two chambers on the right side of the heart (right atrium and right ventricle) transfer blood from your lung to your heart which means that blood cells take in a new supply of oxygen to replace the waste products they’ve accumulated on their travels through the body. The oxygen-rich blood is returned to the left chambers of your heart (left atrium and left ventricle) which pump it through the rest of the body. When the muscle of your heart relaxes the two chambers on the top (the atrium and the) become filled with blood. Then, the chambers expand, pushing blood to the ventricles. The ventricles expand and send blood out of the heart to the lungs or across the body.

What happens when a heartbeat occurs

In a healthy heart, the electric impulse which initiates the heartbeat is generated by the sinus node, a cell group known as the “sinus node” (or it’s the SA node, for short) located within the atrium of the right. This SA node is frequently referred to as the heart’s pacemaker. It functions like the spark plug inside the car engine, generating the electrical signals needed to make the heart pump. The SA node produces a variety of signals every minute in response to the body’s demands. The heart’s resting rate is usually 60-80 beats per minute. When a surge of electrical energy is created, it extends across the upper half of your heart (the atria) as if ripples spread from a stone that has been dropped into the lake. This triggers the atria, the chambers above, to expand. When they contract their blood is forced out into the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles.

In the meantime, the electrical signal that caused the atria contract is reaching the A (atrioventricular) node in the lower portion of the right atrium. The AV node acts as an electrical connector between the atria and ventricles. It stores an electrical signal indefinitely for short time as a relay station so that the blood that flows from the atria can be pumped into the ventricles. It then sends the signal to the lower chambers.

from the heart which makes the heart contract. When the ventricles contract, they pump blood out with immense force. This electrical impulse has been transmitted through the lower and upper chambers within the heart causing them to contract. It is the equivalent of one heartbeat. The electrical activity creates electric waves which can then be observed by a heart-related test, also known as the electrocardiogram (ECG also known as an EKG).

Heart Disease: Why Should You Care?

If you’re like most people, you might consider heart disease to be something that occurs to people of all ages. You’re feeling well, you think, so I’m nothing to be concerned about. If you’re female, you may believe that being female helps protect you from heart diseases. If you’re a male and think that you’re too young to be suffering from a heart problem. This is not the case on every level. In India heart disease, it is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Many suffer from it in the middle of their lives, and their later years. It can also happen to healthy people.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEART DISEASE

What Is Heart Disease?

Coronary heart disease, often known as heart disease happens when the arteries that carry blood supply to the muscle of the heart get more narrow and hardened as a result of an accumulation of plaques on the vessels’ internal wall. Plaque can be defined as the buildup of cholesterol, fat, and other compounds. As plaque builds within the arterial blood vessels, the flow of blood into the muscles of the heart decreases. Heart disease may result in heart attacks. Heart attacks occur when an artery is completely blocked by plaque, which prevents vital nutrients and oxygen from reaching the muscle of your heart. Heart attacks can result in permanent injury to your heart’s muscles. Heart disease is among numerous cardiovascular diseases that are conditions of the heart and blood vessels. Other cardiovascular illnesses include stroke as well as high blood pressure and rheumatic cardiovascular disease. A few people aren’t concerned about heart disease because they believe that it’s treatable through surgery. This isn’t true. It’s a long-lasting condition. Once you’ve got it, you’ll have it. The truth is that procedures like bypass surgery and angioplasty can aid in bringing oxygen and blood more efficiently toward the heart. Furthermore, indeed, the condition of the blood vessels in your body will gradually get worse unless you make adjustments in your lifestyle and reduce the risk factors. Many suffer from heart disease or are permanently disabled. This is why it’s important to act to avoid this condition.

Who Is at Risk?

Risk factors are the conditions or behaviors that make people more likely to develop a condition. They also increase the likelihood that a disease already present will become worse. Risk causes of heart attack you can address include smoking cigarettes and high blood pressure excess weight physical inactivity, diabetes. Recent studies show that over 95 percent of people who die of heart disease are suffering from at most one of these risk factors. Risk factors that are specific to a particular risk, including being older, can’t be altered. Women who go through menopausal changes have a higher risk of suffering from heart disease. Both for men and women middle age is a period of increased risk since women are more likely to be prone to heart disease risk factors at this time of life. A family history of heart disease is a risk factor that cannot be altered. If your brother or father suffered a heart attack before age 55, or you or your sister suffered one before age 65, you’re more likely to develop heart disease. Although certain risk factors can’t be altered, it’s crucial to recognize that you can exert control over a variety of others. No matter your health or family history you can take vital steps to reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

How Risk Works

It can be tempting to think that doing just one good action will reduce the risk of developing heart disease. For instance, you could think that if you exercise or swim every day and eat plenty of fatty food, and remain relatively healthy. This is not the case. To ensure your heart is protected it is essential to implement changes that target every risk factor. It is possible to make these changes gradually, one step at one at a time. However, making these changes is crucial. Although each risk factor raises the risk of developing heart disease If you have several risk factors can be grave. This is because risk factors are prone to join together and increase the effects of each other. For instance, if you are suffering from high cholesterol, and you smoke cigarettes, the risk of developing heart disease increases dramatically. The message is simple: You have to consider the risk of heart disease seriously. The best moment to reduce your risk is right now.

What’s Your Risk?

The first step to improving your heart health is to be aware of your risk of developing heart disease. Certain risks, like smoking cigarettes or being overweight are clear we all are aware of whether we smoke and need to shed just a few pounds. Other risk factors, like high blood cholesterol or pressure, are not accompanied by any visible indications or signs. You’ll have to collect the information needed to create your personalized heart profile.

How to Talk With Your Doctor

The first step in figuring out your risk is to schedule an appointment to see your physician to have a thorough examination. Your doctor can be an important resource to help you set and achieve your goals for heart health. However, don’t wait around for your doctor to talk about heart disease and its risks. Most doctors aren’t able to mention the issue especially when they see female patients. Recent research suggests that women have a lower chance than men to receive heart health advice from their physicians. Here’s how to be vocal and establish clear, effective communication between you and your physician.

1. Request what you want.
2. Inform your doctor about how you’re looking to ensure your heart is healthy and want help getting there. Discuss your likelihood to develop heart problems, as well as ways to reduce the risk. (See How to Talk to Your Doctor next on this page.) Also, ask for tests to identify your risk factors.
3. Be open.
4. When your doctor asks questions, respond as truthfully and completely as you can. While some subjects may appear to be personal, talking openly with your doctor determine the likelihood of you getting heart disease. This can help your doctor collaborate more effectively together with you to decrease the risk of developing heart disease.
5. Simple.
6. If you aren’t sure what your doctor has said Ask for clarification in plain English. Make sure you know what you’re supposed to do and how to use any medication you’re prescribed. If you’re concerned about being able to comprehend what the doctor has to say, or you are unable to hear, take a friend or family member for your visit. You might want to ask them to note down the doctor’s directions for you.