Heart: 16 Facts

 The heart is present in the center of our circulatory system. It is primarily responsible for pumping and distributing oxygen and nutrients throughout our body with the help of blood and blood vessels as its channels. This task is so vital that even a small dysfunction or abnormality can cause drastic changes in our bodies. The most surprising part is that the heart is just a muscle which is able to operate because of so many other parts of body working together with it. The heart has four chambers and they are accompanied by a number of veins and arteries that facilitate the functioning of the heart. This fist-size organ is the reason we live. Even a brain-dead human is still living, until its heart beats.

In this article, we will read about some fun facts about heart and cardiovascular system.

1. The size of an average heart is the size of that person’s fist.
2. A heart beats 72 times a minute (this number can change over age). So a heart beats around 115,000 times a day.
3. With the above estimate, we can assume that a heart pumps 7,500 liters (around 2000 gallons) of blood every day on an average.
4. The beating sound that the heart produces is because of the opening and the closing of its valves.
5. A man’s heart is roughly two ounces heavier than a woman’s heart.
6. A woman’s heart beats slightly faster than that of a man’s.
7. Laughter therapy is really good for your heart. When you laugh, your body releases anti-stress hormones that reduce your stress levels, further boosting your immune system.
8. There exists a broken heart syndrome, whose symptoms are very much alike a heart attack. But, unlike a heart attack, it is caused by a sudden physical or emotional stress that causes the weakening of heart muscle. The death due to this syndrome is possible. Though it is extremely rare.
9. If we openly lay out our entire vascular system, then it can stretch to about 100 km (around 60 miles).
10. Treating gum disease may reduce the risk of heart disease and improve health. Additionally, adulterated food that causes cardiac damage has also been seen causing an effect on the oral health of people. Which also questions the food safety culture of every country.
11. The first implantable pacemaker was planted in the body of Arne Larson, in 1893. He lived longer than the surgeon who implanted it, and died at the age of 86 due to a condition unrelated to his heart.
12. The earliest known heart condition was identified in a 3000 old Egyptian mummy.
13. The fairy fly belonging to the family of wasps, has the smallest heart of any living creature yet identified.
14. Christmas day is the most common day of the year for heart attacks to happen.
15. Heart cells stop dividing. So the case of heart case is extremely rare.
16. Most heart treatment hospitals are busiest on Monday mornings.

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