The average adult heart, which is a little larger in size than a clenched fist, weighs about 300 grams and looks more like an inverted pear than an image on Valentine's. On average, this important body makes about 100,000 cuts per day, from 60 to 100 beats per minute, which is more than 2.5 billion beats by the time we are 70 years old. So what makes the heart beat?
Parts of the heart and their work
What energy source is able to maintain this complex system in working condition? What makes a heart beat? The answer is simple - electricity. But before we can understand what exactly electricity does in the body, we first need to understand what parts of the heart exist and how they work together.
The heart has four chambers - two upper and two lower. The upper chambers are called the right and left atria, and the two lower chambers are called the right and left ventricles. A valve connects the atrium to the corresponding ventricle. The tricuspid valve connects the right atrium and ventricle, and the mitral valve connects the left atrium and ventricle.
This entire kit is complemented by two additional valves: a pulmonary valve connects the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, and an aortic valve connects the left ventricle to the aorta. These four valves function as gates, allowing blood to flow in the same direction with every heartbeat.
What makes a person’s heart beat?
The heart beats due to a small electric current generated by the cardiac conduction system. The cardiac conduction system is a group of muscle cells in the walls of an organ.
It consists of two main components:
- The sinoatrial node (sinus-atrial), known as the cardiac pacemaker, triggers at regular intervals, causing the heart to beat.
- Atrioventricular node (atrioventricular) is an electrical "relay station" between the upper and lower chambers of the heart.
When all these components work together and together, you have a healthy heart with a rhythm of about 60 to 70 beats per minute or higher, depending on your age and other factors.
Pacemaker cells
Why is the heart beating? Special cells produce electricity in the body, quickly changing their electric charge. When the heart muscle is relaxed, the cells are electrically polarized, which means that there is a negative electric charge inside each cell. The environment outside the cells is positive. Cells are depolarized because some of their negative atoms are allowed through the cell membrane, and it is this depolarization that causes electricity in the heart. As soon as one cell is depolarized, it causes a chain reaction, and electricity flows from the cell to the cell. When the cells return to normal, this is called repolarization, and the process repeats with every heartbeat.
The sinoatrial node is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which controls all the automatic functions of the body, including heartbeat, respiration and digestion. The sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system are part of the autonomic nervous system and work together to control how quickly the pacemaker cells spontaneously depolarize and increase and decrease the speed at which the sinus-atrial node sends electrical signals.
The role of the sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for an increase in heart rate during exercise, while the parasympathetic nervous system lowers the pulse during periods of rest. When the sinoatrial node triggers an electrical impulse, it first passes through the upper chambers of the heart and passes through the atrioventricular node, where it slows down. When the electrical signal slows down, the atrioventricular node allows the upper chambers of the heart to contract earlier than the ventricles.
People can have different internal resting heart rates, and the reason for this is the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Athletes, for example, develop a higher parasympathetic tone with continued training, and therefore, during rest, the pulse will be lower than in ordinary people.
What determines the rhythm of your heart?
What makes a heart beat? How does this vital organ work? Regular heartbeat is achieved as a result of the rhythm inherent in the heart muscle. There are no nerves inside the heart itself, and this organ does not need any external regulatory mechanisms to stimulate the muscle to a rhythmic contract.
The sound of your heartbeat is the opening and closing of the valves. First, blood enters the atria, and then passively enters the ventricles. When the ventricles are nearly full, the atria contract in unison and squeeze as much blood as possible into the ventricles. Heart muscle cells, otherwise called cardiac muscle fibers, have a unique ability that makes them unlike any other muscle cells in your body.
How to make the heart beat faster? There are many different reasons and ways, among which it is worth noting physical activity and strong emotional states.