Circulation: The Circulatory System and Your Body

How exactly does the circulatory system work and why is it so important? Most people believe that it pumps blood but beyond that they're lost. They have no idea just how important and complex the circulatory system really is. The average person goes through their whole life never knowing how marvelous the body truly is, nor do they realize the genius behind it.

How the Blood Travels:
Your blood makes two distinct journeys through your body by leaving the heart and returning back again. The pulmonary circulation, sometimes called "used blood," is pumped to your lungs where it picks up oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide. After this process, it returns back to your heart.

From there the oxygen-fresh blood is pumped all over your body in a process called the systemic circulation. Its goal is to supply nutrients to all your tissues and pick up waste products before returning the blood back to your heart. The arteries that have the job of carrying blood away from your heart have thick muscular walls. This helps them to cushion the peaks of blood pressure that occur each time your heart beats.

The main artery in your body is known as the aorta and has an internal diameter of about 1 ¼ inches. It branches out into smaller arteries throughout the body then into tiny arterioles and ultimately into microscopic capillaries. These capillaries have thin honeycombed walls that allow easy exchange of nutrients and oxygen for waste products between the blood and the tissues.

In a successful attempt, the capillaries unite to form venules and form soft-walled, pliable veins, who takes on the job of returning oxygen-depleted blood to the heart. Did you know that your blood does not flow at an even rate to all parts of your body? The rate will vary according to the amount of blood needed by particular tissues at the time of a necessity.

How Does My Blood Flow When I Run?
When you run, blood is redirected to your leg muscles by the action of your abdominal organs. When you run, your legs will need more blood so your abdominal organs make it all happen. Another example would be the uterus of a pregnant woman. Her uterus must make a greater demand on her body's circulation, but it's all taken care of by the body.

Sometimes after we eat a large meal, our organs may need to get more blood to aid in the digestion process. Did you know that when you go outside in the cold, less blood flows in blood vessels near your chilled skin? That's because more blood has to flow to the deeper vessels in order to conserve heat for your body. When you get hot in summer, this procedure works just the opposite and you become overheated.

Your circulatory system has many potential problems that could occur such as blood clots forming to cause blockages. Your circulation is highly complicated and if the heart, which is the central pump, does not function properly, it can result in serious health problems. Medical issues can also develop within your blood vessels. One condition is known as hardening of the artery or arteriosclerosis. This is caused by fatty deposits in your blood vessels and a weakness in an artery wall causing an artery to harden.

There are many disorders of the circulatory system and as we grow older, most of us have a hardening of our arteries. But today, with more people engaging in exercise, modern medication and a much healthier diet, we can expect to live a longer life even if we do have circulatory problems. Proper lifestyle, treatment and medication are making growing older a pleasure rather than a fear.