Give Your Heart the Care It Deserves
Because Your Heart Is As Precious As You Are
Your heart is one of your body's most important organs. Essentially a pump, the heart is a muscle made up of four chambers separated by valves and divided into two halves. Each half contains one chamber called an atrium and one called a ventricle. The atria (plural for atrium) collect blood, and the ventricles contract to push blood out of the heart. The right half of the heart pumps oxygen-poor blood (blood that has a low amount of oxygen) to the lungs where blood cells can obtain more oxygen.
For a more Heart-Healthy Lives Eat Well and Drink Wisely
- Make your own healthy school or work lunches at home
- Swap sweet, sugary treats for fresh fruit as a healthy alternative
- Try to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day – they can be fresh, frozen
- Try to limit processed and prepackaged foods that are often high in salt, sugar and fat
- Cut down on sugary beverages and fruit juices – choose water or unsweetened juices instead
Facts about Your Heart
Your heart can weigh between 7 & 15 ounces.
A man’s heart weighs, on average, around 10 ounces and a woman’s heart weighs around 8 ounces.
Newborn babies have the fastest heartbeats.
A newborn’s heart rate is around 70 to 190 beats per minute. The average adult should have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Your heart beats around 100,000 times a day
The sound you hear when it beats is actually the noise of the heart valves opening and closing.
Your heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood a day.
That blood travels about 12,000 miles through your body each day. During your lifetime, you pump about one million barrels of blood.
Laughing is good for your heart
Your blood vessels relax when you are laughing, which sends 20% more blood through your body.
Sneezing does not stop your heart
Contrary to popular belief, sneezing does not stop your heart or make it “skip a beat.” It can change your heart’s rhythm. The only time your heart stops is during cardiac arrest.
Women’s hearts beat about 10 per cent faster than men’s
Women have a circadian rhythm, which runs between 1.7 and 2.3 hours ahead of their male partners.
Depression
Depression increases your risk for a heart attack
References:
"Heart Disease." Symptoms & prevention of heart disease, 16 May 2018."Heart" Definition of heart, 2 June 2015. "Heart-healthy lives" few small changes to our lives, 25 July 2017.
"Adult health." risks of sitting too much. 8 May 2018.
"Facts about Your Heart" 13 May, 2015.