In this essay, I will be outlining and describing how exercising affects the circulatory system. I will give an explanation of the autonomic nervous system and the cardiac control center, and illustrate how breathing and the heart changes and what controls this. Also, I will explain how blood pressure changes the lymphatic system, and how it benefits the body from exercise. I will give a brief explanation of the movement of blood around the body during exercise, including how oxygen is transported to the body, heart, and lungs.
The nervous system controls the heart rate at rest and during exercise. The sympathetic nerves increase the heart when the person is exercising, and the sympathetic nerves then slow down the heart rate. The normal heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute (bpm). Khanna (2020) states “the SAN pacing rate would be 100 bpm, however, heart rate and cardiac output must be able to vary in response to the needs of the body”.
There is a part of the brain called the medulla oblongata, it is located in the brain stem and is responsible for controlling the heart rate and breathing rate. A part of it is called the cardiac control center. It changes the heart rate as the body needed, and it increases the blood volume needed so it reaches the tissues that require blood and oxygen when exercising and moving. Vetman (2020) outlines your medulla oblongata makes up just 0.5% of the total weight of your brain, but it plays a vital role in regulating those involuntary processes. Without this vital section of your brain, your body and brain wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other. It will send information via three different cells, the proprioceptors, which are part of the nerve ends and sensory nerves, they aid to judge body position and move a body part in relation to one another. The baroreceptors are sensors that are in the blood vessels, they send messages to the central nervous system to increase or decrease blood pressure levels. The chemoreceptors detect carbon dioxide, their main job is to remove carbon dioxide from the lungs. When they indicate the build-up, the heart will work harder to move the blood and the lungs will work harder to exhale the carbon dioxide. Hendrickson (2018) states that an increased respiration rate, resulting in decreased blood carbon dioxide and increased oxygen, increases blood pH and regulates acidity.
Kandola (2020) states the autonomic nervous system is a complex network of cells that controls the body’s internal state, it will trigger the start of the cardiac cycle. It regulates and supports many different internal processes, often outside of a person’s conscious awareness. The nervous systems contain two parts the central nervous system, which is the brain, and the spinal cord. The other part is the peripheral nervous system, which is all the neurons outside the central nervous system. The autonomic nervous system sends signals to the SA node, which increases the heart rate to twice the normal rate within seconds. During exercise, the increased beating will also increase the amount of oxygen going around the body. The sinoatrial node, also known as the SA node, is situated in the upper part of the heart, this is called the right atrium. The SA node will send signals to the cells until it reaches the atrioventricular node (AV node), which is in the center of the heart. Kenney, Wilmore, and Costill (2012) report that the parasympathetic system, a branch of the autonomic nervous system, originates centrally in a region of the brain stem called the medulla oblongata and reaches the heart through the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X). The vagus nerve carries impulses to the SA and AV nodes, and when stimulated it releases acetylcholine, which causes hyperpolarization of the conduction cells. The AV node will act as a gate, sending an electrical current to pass to the ventricles. The atria will fully contract, and then the ventricles are stimulated. After the AV node, the current will travel to the ventricles along fibers on the lower part of the heart.
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The systemic circulation is the vessels that transport oxygen and deoxygenated blood around the blood, back to the heart, and then on to the lungs again where it is oxygenated. As the heart works harder during exercise the systolic blood pressure will increase. The systolic is the top measure in the reading, it measures the force against the walls as the heart pumps. As the heart pumps harder and faster, more force from the blood will be noticed in the blood pressure. The normal range for the systolic is between 160-220 when undertaking exercise. Kenney, Wilmore, and Costill (2012) state that a systolic pressure, that starts out at 120 mmHg in a normal healthy person at rest, can exceed 200 mmHg at maximal exercise. Systolic pressures of 240 to 250 mmHg have been reported in normal, healthy, highly trained athletes at maximal intensities of aerobic exercise. The diastolic blood pressure will have no change or only a slight change during exercising. It measures the force between the heart resting as it beats.
When the ventricles contract and produce blood flow, it is called the stroke volume. The number of times the heart beats per minute is called the heart rate. With both, it determines the cardiac output. The stroke volume is the amount of blood that is pumped into the left ventricle, it increases during exercise as the body requires more oxygen, so the blood is increased. The stroke volume is measured by ml, and the normal amount during rest is 70-100ml. However, during exercise, the amount is increased.
The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. Chew (2018) explains: “The immune system protects you from infection and other diseases. It includes your spleen, bone marrow, thymus, tonsils, adenoids, the lymph channels, and the lymph nodes”. It contains lymphatic vessels that collect lymph fluid. The vessels go through the lymph nodes, which have immune cells that fight off abnormal cells, and the lymph fluid is drained back into the blood. During exercise, the lymphatic system is stimulated by moving the muscles, exercising getting the lymphatic system working more effectively and helping prevent infections.
My conclusion is exercise is the best way to keep your body healthy. It will ensure the heartbeat is strong and pumps oxygen in the blood around the body. One of the long-term effects is it will build up the walls in the heart, providing a strong and effective organ. The overall benefits of exercise will prevent infections and promote weight loss, which helps your body from having extra strain.
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