Mid-Unit Summary

     The first concept we covered was the structures of the heart and its correlation to their functions. The heart is covered by the pericardium which secretes a fluid that keeps it lubricated and reduces friction. The heart is broken up into four chambers: the right atrium which is in charge of receiving oxygen deprived blood, the right ventricle which discharges blood, the left atrium which receives oxygen-rich blood and the left ventricle which takes oxygenated blood from the lungs. The valves of the heart prevent back flow and keep blood flowing in one direction.  The nodal system is built into the heart tissue with the SA node starting each heartbeat, and a delayed AV node that waits for blood to move into the ventricles. The cardiac cycle is divided into the systole and the diastole. The systole is in charge of contraction while the diastole is in charge of relaxation. Oxygen-rich blood flows from your aorta to the arteries to arterioles, and to the capillaries. Oxygen poor blood travels from the venules to veins to the vena cavas, to the heart and finally ot the pulmonary artery.
     The second concept we learned was the major features of the circulatory system. Its major components include the heart: a network of tubes that continuously circulates with arteries carrying blood away from the heart and veins bring blood back to the heart. This system is enclosed inside your body so if blood escapes outside of the system, internal bleeding will result. The normal measurement of blood pressure is 120/80.
     The third lesson was about the functions and dysfunctions of blood vessels. Veins carry blood back to the heart from tissues while arteries carry blood away from the heart to tissues and is made up of elastic and contractile muscle. Capillaries are tiny vessela that connect arteriole to venules. Unhealthy blood vessels result in atherosclerosis in which bessels become clogged with plaque resulting in no blood flow to the rest of the vessels. An Aneurysm is a weakened section of the blood vessel wall that is caused by atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, trauma/injury, and stimulant drugs.
    The fourth lesson we learned was the different components in our blood and how they affect our health. Blood functions to transport oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients throughout our body. It regulates our body temperature, and protects against infections. The different blood types are A, B, AB, and O based on the presence of antigens. Red blood cells have no nucleus and carry oxygen. Once the are worn out, the are recycled in the spleen, liver, and red marrow. A defect in red blood cells in which the cell becomes sickle shaped is called Sickle Shape Anemia and results in reduced oxygen to tissues. There are 5 different types of white blood cells. Neutrophils are in charge of ingesting bacteria and are active phagocytes; basophils are involved in inflammation and allergic reactions; eosinophils fight parasitic worms; lymphocytes attack virisus and secrete antibodies; monocytes arrive at site of an infection and destroy more microbes; and finally plateles form a chain reaction that leads to blood clotting.
     In the atherosclerosis reading, it wrote about how our bodies naturally produce substances that fight and prevent blood clots from "materializing", but if plaque builds up in our arteries, this inhibits the release of those substances. The inake of LDL in our Western culture excess the necessary amount our bodies demand, which actually "promotes aterial disease."
     The fifth lesson we learned was how heart attacks and strokes are identified and treated. A heart attack is defined by a stopping of blood supply to the myocardium which results in damage/death to heart cells. A cardiac arrest may occur before a heart attack as the heart's electrical system malfunctions and the heart stops. When access supgars and plyunsaturated fats builds up in blood vessels, atherosclerosis may occur. There are two different types of cholesterol: LDL and HDL. LDL are bad for our arteries ad they stick to garbage. HDL is good and cleans up LDL like a garbage truck. To detect a heart attack in progress, eletrical tests such as an EKG, angiography, echocardiogram, or electrocardiogram is taken.
     Strokes are very dangerous because often times, symptoms are not seen and when they are, it is too late. During a stroke two million brain cells die each minute. There are drugs like tPA and TIA that can help treat strokes; however, they are only efficient if you are treated with them soon enough. The highest risk of a stroke is high blood pressure, so the most important way to avoid a stroke is to prevent it through healthy diets, frequent exercise, little alcohol consumption, and tracking blood pressure.  

Blood Pressure Lab

1. The systole is is the beginning of the heartbeat in which the muscles contract and blood flows from the chambers into the arteries. The diastole is the when heart muscles relax and the chambers fill with blood.
2. The equipment used to measure heart rate is the stethoscope or you could simply use your fingers on your wrist or neck. A sphygmomanometer is used to measure blood pressure.
3. Using your thumb to measure pulse is not a good idea because your thumb has a pulse in itself. If you use your thumb it may confuse the pulse you are trying to measure to your thumbs pulse. It is best to use your two fingers.
4. To use a sphygmomanometer, first remove anything clothing covering your subjects arm. The wrap the cloth around the arm and attach it securely. Then take a stethoscope and stick the round, hearing end inside the cloth, and the other side into your ears so you can hear the beats. Use you pump and pump until the needle marks 150-160mmHg with the knob tightened. Once you have pumped it, open the knob slowly and listen when the beats begin. Record that number as the first number and when you stop hearing the beats, record the number you see as your second number.

Heart Chalk Walk

     A de-oxygenated blood cell enters from the superior vena cava and travels down into the right atrium. it then moves through the tricuspid valve, into the right ventricle, and up to the pulmonary artery where it is release into the lungs. IN the lungs the cell becomes oxygenated and enters back into the heart from the pulmonary veins and into the left atrium. She then goes through the bicuspid valve, into the left ventricle, and up through the arch of aorta, moving blood towards the rest of the body. 

Unit 2 Reflection

     Health is a combination of maintaining balance in the different pillars (nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and being social). It involves an understanding and awareness of how you treat your body through the foods you in take and what nutrients are in those foods. Good health requires dedication to exercise frequently and sustain consistent cycles of sleep. Someone who is healthy is aware of their 5 pillars and spends time achieving each of them to their maximum abilities. Health affects everybody and everyone should do their part to taking care of themselves for the benefit of current fitness as well as long-term wellness.
     In terms of the 5 pillars, I do not fulfill the needs of each of them and my health tower is unbalanced. I spend a lot of time dedicated to exercise and the social pillar, however my nutrition, sleep, and stress can all improve. Because of the strenuous and long practices for color guard, I participate in 11+ hours of exercise each week. I'm also very conscious of the amount of time I spend with my friends and family, making sure I have fruitful conversations during dinner time and catching up with my friends outside of school over the weekend. On the other hand, my weakest pillar would be sleep, as I often don't get a decent 8 hours of sleep each night. I have a tendency to procrastinate my schoolwork and as a result, have to sleep later and/or wake up earlier to finish working or studying. On average I sleep 6-7 hours and most of that sleep is not very restful or refreshing because there's usually a lot on my mind; leading to my next lacking pillar- stress. I feel mildly stress constantly, but many times because of academics and busy schedules, I stress myself out more than I need to and forget to take time to relax. I get very caught up in what I have to do and sometimes don't have time to spend with myself.
     Most people at Saratoga High School have unbalanced pillars, as studious students, we often pack our schedules with school and extracurricular activities leading towards a lack of sleep and high levels of stress. Though some of us attain a healthy diet and choose good foods to eat regularly, many of us find it difficult to resist and delicious cookie or a can of soda, making our nutrition not as complete and well-rounded as needed. Through our community, teachers, and peers, we should all strive to promote an importance in getting enough sleep and managing our stress. By emphasizing the importance in receiving a good education for the purposes of learning and not getting good grades to please colleges or other people, Saratoga students can focus on having better maintenance of their well being. A larger selection of healthy foods should be offered at the cafeteria and all science classes should include a lecture about the importance of the 5 pillars of health. 

 

     

     The major themes in this unit were the 5 pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and social. A understanding of the importance of each pillar is crucial, as different cycles and chemicals play a role in maintaining our body's energy and well being. I learned that sugar is a big part of the Western diet and can be very toxic to our bodies if consumed excessively. Your body has 3 Metabolic Pathways when it undergoes energy usage, each phase relying on a different chemical process. The harder and more vigorous the intensity level of an exercise is, the less time you need to spend doing it in order to attain more benefits. Your brain collects waste throughout the day, and by sleeping, it is able to clear out those wastes, making you refreshed for the next day. Without sufficient amount of sleep, your brain is unable to clear out those wastes, leaving you feeling foggy the next day. I still don't fully understand what glucagon does for our body and how it's the opposite of insulin.
     Next unit, I plan to spend more time understanding the notes after I have written from the lecture in class and actively write in the "HOT Questions" column throughout the notes to better understand the material and relate it to what I already know.
     There are Nutrition majors offered at many colleges, and you take classes that help you further understand biology and chemistry along with analyzing public health, diets, hospital work, and even education. These people study how the nutrition in our food affects the public health and helps investigate and research safety in places across the world where food standards are less regulated and strict.

Sleep Diary

During my analysis of my sleep through a 5 day period, I was slightly surprised to see my total average of sleep hours higher than I expected, however this was mostly because I slept a decent 9.5 hours from Saturday to Sunday. On an average school day I usually sleep later than 12:00 am and don't get adequate sleep to stay energized throughout the day. I found it difficult to stay awake during class time and I had a mild headache from lunch to afternoon. As I only met the necessary average of 8 hours of sleep per night on the weekends, I realized how much sleep debt I had accumulated over a long time. Even on the weekend with sufficient amount of sleep, I was still tired throughout the day and didn't feel as energized as I should with the amount of sleep I had that prior night. This study convicted me to manage my sleep schedule daily and consistently as only getting the normal amount of sleep on weekends will result in large amounts of sleep debt and constant tiredness.