Do our Hearts Beat in Time with our Breathing ?

Question

Are they in tune.

Answer 1

I wouldn't say they are directly in 'time' with each other - though under conditions of increased respiration one can expect logically for the heart to beat faster (e.g. - running from a lion).

Answer 2

Nope.

Easy example: you get frightened by something, adrenaline is pumped into your bloodstream and your heart begins to race. Unless you begin running, your breathing will not increase nearly so fast or as much as your heart rate did in a fraction of a second.

Answer 3

Not really. The main point behind breathing is to draw air in and out, and to keep th exchange of gases going, throw out CO2 and bring in O2. The blood in the capillaries flow continuously, don't think blood flows in only during ventricular systole. So, as long as there is a diffusion gradient/concentration gradient of oxygen between blood and air maintained, there is no need of the heart coordinating with breathing.

Answer 4

techincally, yes.

when we breathe, our nasal cavity pushes against our abdominal cavity.

This would push the vena cava that is in our abdominal cavity. In turn, the blood will get pushed faster into the heart. To prevent too much blood in the heart (to prevent backflow) the sinoatrial node in our hearts would send signals to the brain to enable the heart to beat faster, and therefore, when we breathe faster, our heartbeats increase.

hope this helps! (: