Circulatory System Facts

A simple way to understand the circulatory system is to imagine our body as a country. Take the human heart as the capital of the country. Imagine the blood to be the train that connects the capital to all the cites and the blood vessels to be the tracks on which blood runs.

The circulatory system has three main parts i.e the heart, the blood and blood vessels. We all know that the heart is a muscle that pumps blood in our body. It is this organ that makes our body function properly. The main function of this system is to provide oxygen and nutrients to the various cells in the body. It carries away carbon dioxide and waste materials away from the cells. An interesting fact about the circulatory system is that the blood which moves towards the heart has a high degree of carbon dioxide and the blood flowing away from the heart is rich in oxygen. The blood vessels can be categorized into arteries which branch out into capillaries and veins. They carry blood away from the heart, and it's the capillaries where the nutrients are mixed into the blood. Veins carry blood towards the heart.

The functioning of the circulatory system is also pretty fascinating. The heart pumps blood, which is sent to the four chambers of the heart. The heart has two ventricles and two atria. The left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood to the other organs of the body; on the other hand, the right ventricle pumps the blood to the lungs. The heart has four valves which control the flow of the blood. The right atrium contains blood that is low in oxygen. When the valve opens, this blood is pumped into the right ventricle, similarly another valve opens to pour the blood into the pulmonary artery which carries the blood to the lungs for oxygen. The left atrium brings oxygenated blood into the left ventricle via another valve and into the aorta, which then sends the blood to the other body parts.

Facts About Circulatory System

1. The left side of the heart contains oxygenated blood whereas the right side has de-oxygenated blood.
2. One drop of blood has about 5 million red blood cells and 12 thousand white blood cells.
3. The heartbeats about 30 million times in 365 days.
4. 10 million blood cells die in the human body every second, the same quantity is produced at the same time.
5. Blood circulates the entire body in 20 seconds.
6. An average heart pumps about 450 gallons of blood everyday.
7. One of the surprising facts is that the heartbeat is the sound of the valves opening and closing.
8. An average adult's body has about 5 liters of blood in it and a baby's body has about 1 liter of blood in it.
9. A human heart is a muscle which is the size of a clenched fist.
10. Blood cells die in every 4 months.
11. The plasma in the blood is made in the liver.
12. One of the amazing facts about this system is that the heart continues to beat even when it is taken out of the body!

These were some of the many interesting facts. We know that the heart is a muscle and like other muscle, it needs exercise to be healthy. So go ahead, hit the gym to avoid circulatory system problems and diseases, after all it is the heart that pumps life into our bodies!