February is American heart month. You may not think about your heart often, but here are some fascinating facts you don’t want to miss.
Your heart does amazing things day in and day out. The main function of your heart is to keep oxygenated blood circulating throughout your body. In fact, you may be surprised by how hard it works to keep you alive.
Here are 10 things you may not know about this incredible organ.
- Your heart beats over 100,000 times per day.
- Your heart pumps about 1.5 gallons of blood every minute. Over the course of a day, that adds up to over 2,000 gallons.
- There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body. That’s enough to go around the world twice.
- The average heartbeat of a woman is about 8 beats a minute faster than a man’s heartbeat.
- An adult heart is about the size of two hands clasped together. A child’s heart is about the size of a fist.
- Every cell in the human body gets blood from the heart except for the cornea.
- The right side of your heart pumps blood into your lungs. The left side of your heart pumps blood back through your body.
- The most number of heart attacks occur each year on Christmas Day. The day after Christmas and New Year’s Day are close behind.
- More heart attacks happen on a Monday than any other day of the week.
- Heart disease is the greatest threat to your health. That’s why it’s important to be good to your heart by following a heart-healthy lifestyle.
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Date Last Reviewed: August 15, 2018
Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor
Medical Review: Perry Pitkow, MD