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Breathing has both an automatic (involuntary) and a voluntary control. Of course, you don't have to voluntarily inhale and exhale consciously in order to stay alive; a part of the brain called the brainstem takes care of that. You can, of course control voluntarily the muscles you use for breathing (ie. the diaphragm and the intercostals), which is essential for speech, and many other activities.
The rhythm of the heart is not given by the brain. It comes from the heart's own pacemaker, a small node of special heart muscle called the sinus node or sinoatrial node. What the brain does is only the regulation of the heart rate. When you are relaxed, your heart beats slower, when excited, faster. But the heart is totally automatic: it keeps beating even after totally being separated from the nervous system (which is exactly the case in transplanted hearts).
Of course, the heart needs oxygen, and plenty of it. But, it can keep beating for quite a few minutes without breathing. This is what makes resuscitation possible sometimes even after more than 15 minutes of no breathing and heartbeat.
While the heart can keep beating for some time after the breathing stops, the reverse is practically not possible. Breathing is only possible with a functioning brainstem, and to keep the brainstem working, it needs blood full of oxygen. So, breathing usually stops seconds after the heart stops, and can be restarted only together with the heart during a cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoYes, usually it happens at the same time, although I have seen patients who have had weak pulses but not breathing (usually following an overdose of an opiate drug such as heroin)
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNo, your heart will always be beating. Unless, you are dead or in a comma. When you are sleeping, your heart is beating. It just beats slower than when you are awake.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoI suppose because no oxygen is longer getting to your muscles so maybe? But I think you just end up going to sleep and not waking up.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoyes
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When was When Your Heart Stops Beating created?
When Your Heart Stops Beating was created in 2005.
When did the rock band 44 release the song 'When Your Heart Stops Beating'?
The rock band 44 released the song "When Your Heart Stops Beating" November 13th 2006. "When Your Heart Stops Beating" became an instant hit single in 2006.
How do mollies die?
their heart stops beating
What will happen if heart stops beating?
You would die
What happens to the body when the heart stops beating?
we are die
Do people grow after dead?
No because when you die, your heart stops beating. And when your heart stops, so does the rest of your body.
Will a person die if there heart stops beating for a minute?
Not necessarily. The heart can be restarted, but the longer it stops, the lower the chances of success.
How do physicians decide when someone is dead?
when their heart stops beating
What are reasons one can be presumed dead?
Your heart stops beating
What bad things things can happen to your heart?
heart attack, stops beating, etc.
What is the name of the definition of death when a heart stops beating?
cardiac arrest
Will you still get blood squirt if a throat is slit after the heart has stopped beating?
No. Once the heart stops beating, blood pressure drops rapidly to zero.
