Cardiovascular System
The heart, blood vessels and blood that keep every cell supplied and connected.
Your cardiovascular system is a closed loop of roughly 100,000km of blood vessels driven by a single fist-sized pump. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to every living cell, clears away carbon dioxide and waste, distributes hormones and immune cells, and helps regulate body temperature. Because it touches almost every other system, cardiovascular health is one of the strongest single predictors of long-term healthspan.
Key organs & structures
How it connects
The heart and lungs work as one pump-and-exchange unit — poor lung function raises cardiac workload.
Blood pressure regulation is a continuous negotiation between the heart, vessels and kidneys.
Regular strength and endurance training remodels the heart to pump more efficiently at rest.
Poor sleep raises resting heart rate and blood pressure the following day.
Common goals
Common symptoms
Deep-dive guides in the cardiovascular system
Conditions involving this system
Symptoms involving this system
Did you know?
- • A resting heart rate in the 50s is common — and often desirable — among endurance-trained adults.
- • Blood takes under a minute to complete a full circuit of the body at rest.
- • Capillaries are so narrow that red blood cells often pass through in single file.