Structure of the Heart

The heart has valves which prevent the blood from flowing back into the atria when the ventricles contract. When the heart contracts, it pushes the blood through the arteries, and when it expands, it receives the blood through the veins. This contraction and expansion of the heart is called the pulse.

The heart's valves are flaps of connective tissues found between the openings of the auricles and ventricles. The sound you hear in the chest using a stethoscope is produced by the closing of the heart valves.

You can feel your pulse by placing your finger over an artery in certain parts of the body, such as the wrist, foot, groin, and neck. Locate your pulse on your wrist then count the number of beats in a minute. By doing this, you can find out how fast your heart is beating.

Your pulse rate and heartbeat are affected by different factors. They are faster after an excercise, but they slow down when you rest. Children have faster heartbeats than adults. Emotions like anger and fear also speed up heartbeats. When the body is in a condition when it needs more supply of oxygen-rich blood for the cells, the heart does additional work by pumping more blood, increasing the heartbeat and pulse rate.