How does the body send more blood to a certain area when needed, like to inner organs when it’s cold or to genitals when aroused?
In: Biology
Imagine us like one of those water-filled stress toys, where if you squeeze one part all the water rushes to whatever part you’re not squeezing. That’s what our bodies do. It’s less sending blood where they want it, but more squeezing it away from where they don’t want it. If you need more for your organs, squeeze it away from your skin. Need more for your muscles to flee a predator, squeeze it away from your digestive system.
Brain can send a signal to blood vessels all over the body to either expand to allow more blood flow, or contract to restrict blood flow and squeeze it elsewhere. This is usually subconscious, done by our brain without thinking, but there is a man who can do it semi-conciously called Wim Hof, who has a number of crazy records like climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in just a pair of shorts due to him being able to semi-conciously being able to conserve heat by constricting the blood vessels in his skin. That’s just a fun fact though.
The body constricts the blood vessels (arteries) to the extremities. This concentrates the blood in the torso.
The same mechanism is utilized for shock when the body is injured.
You can see evidence of this when your hands or feet go pale in the cold.
Latest Answers