Table of Contents
What happens to the blood flow during exercise?
During exercise, the cardiovascular system redistributes the blood so that more of it goes to the working muscles and less of it goes to other body organs such as the digestive system. This redirection of blood flow is caused by a mechanism (or process) called the vascular shunt mechanism.
Does exercise cause vasodilation or vasoconstriction?
During acute moderate-intensity exercise, various vasodilators and vasoconstrictors act highly complex and interact with each other, resulting in vasodilation.
What regulates blood flow during exercise?
An interesting recent study showed that tetanic muscle contractions initiated rapid ascending vasodilation via conduction of endothelial hyperpolarization from the arteriolar level to feed arteries whereas rhythmic muscle contractions led to a slower (10–15 s delay) vasodilatory effect via shear stress induced release …
What factors regulate blood flow during exercise and how?
Blood flow is determined by local regulatory (tissue and endothelial) factors such as tissue hypoxia, adenosine, K+, CO2, H+, and nitric oxide. During exercise, these local regulatory mechanisms override the sympathetic vasoconstrictor influences (termed functional sympatholysis).
When does vasoconstriction occur during exercise?
When a person takes part in exercise their face can become pink due to vasodilation of the blood vessels close to the skin’s surface. In the cold, blood vessels at the skin’s surface close. This process is called vasoconstriction and takes blood away from the surface of the skin to help prevent it from losing heat.
What happens to the muscles after exercise?
Following a strenuous workout such as resistance training, excess blood gets pumped into the muscle cells you just disrupted. This brings oxygen and nutrients to wash away toxins and lactic acid and creates a temporary swelling which lasts for around two hours.