Blood vessels and the components of the blood Flashcards
what is vascular shunting?
-the redistribution of blood when we are exercising
-blood is diverted away from inactive areas to working muscles
-blood can be shunted away from the stomach which is why it’s important that digestion is complete before exercise
what are the different components of the blood?
-red blood cells
-white blood cells
-platelets
-plasma
what are red blood cells made using?
iron
why are red blood cells red?
because of haemoglobin- this is a red protein that transports oxygen around the body
what is a lack of red blood cells called?
anaemia
why are red blood cells important for exercise?
activities that are mostly impacted by the work of red blood cells are endurance events
what is the purpose of white blood cells?
help to keep people healthy and destroy pathogens
why are white blood cells important for exercise?
keep athletes healthy, ensuring a sportsperson can train
where are platelets formed?
in red bone marrow
what do platelets do?
help clot your blood and scab around he site of the wound
how do platelets work?
when there’s a cut platelets go to the cut and become sticky to block the whole, when needed they grow into irregular shapes
why are platelets important for exercise?
stops excessive bleeding and helps to heal the body quicker in order to prevent infection
what’s the role of plasma?
- blood cells and platelets are suspended in plasma
-without plasma the blood would not flow or travel around the body
what’s plasma made up of?
90% water, salt, glucose, calcium and antibodies
characteristics of arteries
-carry blood away from the heart
-thick muscular walls
-small lumen
-contain blood under high pressure
what happens to the arteries during exercise?
-during exercise the arteries will dilate, allowing more oxygenated blood to get to the working muscles
-during exercise the arteries to inactive organs constrict, this means less blood goes to the inactive organs during this time
characteristics of veins
-carry blood to the heart
-thin walls
-large lumen
-contain blood under low pressure
-have valves to prevent backflow of blood
where are capillaries found?
the muscles and lungs
characteristics of capillaries
-one cell thick
-very low blood pressure
-where gas exchange takes place
why are capillaries needed during exercise?
they allow oxygen to enter the muscles through diffusion
why does an athletes heart pump faster when exercising?
more blood is needed at the working muscles because they need more oxygen and the removal of waste products
how is the cardiovascular system transport important in sport?
Transport is important in sport as oxygenated blood is transported to the working muscles and converted to energy. Waste products such as carbon dioxide are also transported away from the working muscles which allows an athlete to exercise efficiently.
how is the cardiovascular system clotting important in sport?
When an athlete has a cut, platelets rush to the cut to make a blood clot. This helps to prevent infection and disease which would stop an athlete from competing in sport.
how is the cardiovascular system temperature regulation important in sport?
By using vascular shunting, when a person is hot the blood will be redirected to the surface of the skin to allow it to cool down and then when an athlete is cold and the blood will move away from the surface.
