Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day with a loved one or a cold bowl of cereal, most people recognize that it is a day enveloped by love and affection. Besides the cinnamon sweets and flower deliveries, you are likely to see images of the heart. Metaphorically, the heart is commonly believed to be the center of our feelings. While we have learned that our brain actually plays a bigger role in our emotions, the heart is still one of the most important organs for our survival.
That being said, here are 10 interesting facts about your heart.
1. Your heart likes sex.
Sex is good for your heart. A recent study showed that men who engaged in sexual intercourse at least twice a week were significantly less likely to develop heart disease or suffer heart attacks. What about heart attacks that occur during sex? Sex-induced heart attacks are actually rare, and have been mainly attributed to stress and anxiety. In fact, it has been suggested that if you can walk up a flight of stairs briskly, then it is safe for you to engage in sexual activities.
Why Sex is Good for Your Health - ClevelandClinic.org
2. Your heart will keep beating if it is removed from your body.
The sight of a live, beating heart that you sometimes see in horror movies and TV shows is not only great for shock value, it is also quite accurate under some circumstances. Your heart is equipped with its own electrical system, which is responsible for initiating and regulating your heartbeat. The sinoatrial node (SA node) is a tiny mass of muscle in your heart that sends out an electrical impulse. It is known as the natural pacemaker, and it will keep your heart beating as long as it is supplied with oxygen – even if it is removed from your body.
The SA Node - Wikipedia.org
3. Heart attack symptoms are different between men and women.
You have probably heard that the signs and symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, arm pain, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath. Unfortunately, these are usually signs for a heart attack in men. Women tend to experience sudden nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, and shoulder aches during a heart attack instead. For both men and women, heart attack and heart disease is still the number one cause of death.
Heart Attack Symptoms in Women - MedicineNet.com
4. Your heart does not get tired.
There are many reasons that your heart may weaken, but it never gets tired. The human heart begins beating a month after conception and will not stop until your death. It has incredible endurance and power, as each heartbeat is relative to the force it takes for you to squeeze a tennis ball with your hands – and it does this over 100,000 times a day on average.
Why Doesn't the Heart Get Tired - Gizmodo.com
5. Your heart listens to and likes music.
Several studies have shown that listening to music can significantly improve your cardiovascular health. Listening to calm music for just 30 minutes can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, and it can help reduce stress and anxiety. Conversely, listening to upbeat music can unleash your heart's power, increasing cardiac output and improving blood flow. Most popular mainstream music has a tempo of around 120 beats per minute, which is a typical heart rate for the average adult when exercising. This is believed to be one of the reasons you may sometimes feel the urge to get up and move when music is playing.
Using Music to Tune the Heart - Harvard.edu
6. Your heart is brown, not red.
Yes, your heart is actually brown, although it almost always appears as red. This redness is unquestionably because your heart is covered in and contains blood. The actual muscle tissue that your heart is made up of usually appears as either dark or light brown. Many people also believe that blood is sometimes blue, which is also false. Blood is always red: bright red if it contains a lot of oxygen, and dark red if it is oxygen-depleted.
10 Things You May Not Know About Your Heart - ABCNews.com
7. You can LOL for a healthy heart.
Laughter has been linked to healthier hearts. Genuine laughter has been shown to dilate blood vessels, which helps lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. At the same time, laughter has been shown to reduce stress hormones, which are known to constrict blood vessels and increase blood pressure. That being said, many doctors believe the benefits of laughter for your heart are comparable to the benefits of aerobic exercise.
Humor Helps Your Heart - Heart.org
8. The beating sound of your heart is actually made by your heart valves.
Not many people realize it, but the sound of your heartbeat is actually the result of your heart valves squishing shut and flopping open. The common rhythm of sound that the heart produces, often called “lub-dub,” is due to the atrioventricular and semilunar valves opening and closing in sync as the heart pumps your blood.
Heart Sounds - Wikipedia.org
9. A big heart is not a healthy heart.
Having a 'big heart' is often a reference for being kind, but literally having a big heart is not a good thing. The heart is an endurance machine, built and designed for long and hard, continuous work. Thus, a lean and efficient heart is healthier than a big and strong one. Moreover, having an enlarged heart is actually a sign of heart disease or heart disease onset. The average adult heart weighs about half a pound and is roughly the same shape and size as an adult fist.
Enlarged Heart - MayoClinic.org
10. Your heart is a picky eater.
The effect your diet has on your heart's health cannot be overstated. Too much of one thing, too little of another, and just the right amount of some things can make or break a healthy heart. Red meat, for example, is suggested to be eaten only a few times a month and that eating it every day leads to a significant risk for heart disease. Alcohol consumption is actually believed to be a benefit for your health in small amounts only, while more than just one or two drinks a day can increase blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight and lead to a higher risk for heart problems.
17 Worst Habits for Your Heart - Health.com
If you or a loved one have a heart condition and require medication, you can order prescription medication at Canadian prices from You! Drugstore. We are a licensed Canadian pharmacy that fills US prescriptions. All you have to do is register a free account, and then send us your prescription. We offer cheap shipping prices, and we deliver hassle-free to anywhere in the US.
Below is a short list of our most popular medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart failure:
Altoprev/Mevacor and Lovastatin
Fenofibrate and Lipidil