What Is The Strongest Muscle In The Body?
Have you ever wondered how many muscles are present in the human body? Yeah! They are large in number. If you are a sports person, weightlifter or a do routine workout then you might have an idea about most of these muscles.
But, most of the people stay confused about the fact that which one is the largest muscle in the human body. Well, the answer is not so easy because there are many facts that may confuse you about this question.
All muscles do their own dedicated task in a specific way so how can anyone rate them for their strength. Probably, they must have a fight together and the winner will prove itself strongest. Is that a solution? Of course not! Okay, let us discuss this question in details by collecting lots of facts and expert ideas.
Dealing with the misconception
Begin with the common misconception; most of the people believe that tongue is that strongest muscle in the human body. Yeah! You can bend it, suck it, twist it and it can cup; no doubt to say that it is one of the essential part of human anatomy but do you really think that it is the strongest muscle? The answer is no and there are so many reasons to support this logic.
Experts visualize that the misconception of the tongue being the strongest muscle in human body arise due to its amazing abilities to work continuously without getting tired. It keeps on eating, speaking all the time and you will never hear a person saying that he is feeling his tongue tired.
The biggest reason behind why tongue is not the strongest muscle in human body lies somewhere in its architecture. Scientists have confirmed that muscle is not a single identity rather it is made up of eight different muscles and this muscle does not have any supporting bone.
These eight muscles create a flexible combination inside and the resultant matrix is well known as a muscular hydrostat. The first four muscles of this matrix are known as extrinsic muscles and they anchor tongue with the fixed structures of the neck and head. One muscle helps to keep it aligned with the skull base; another makes a connection with the throat bone, one more muscle adjusts it with the lower jaw whereas the fourth one wraps it around the palate. All these four muscles propel your tongue from up and down, front to back and side to side.
Rest four muscles work like the body of the tongue and they help it to enjoy the ability of endless controls to create different postures and shapes. These four muscles allow the tongue to shorten, lengthen, flatten, curl and round while enhancing its ability to swallow, eat and speak. As tongue does not have any bone inside so it appears too flexible and can handle a wide range of controls. It has the ability to work tirelessly with its extraordinary strength. So now, it is clear that tongue is a combination of 8 different small muscles hence we cannot call it the strongest muscle of the human body.
We all know that muscular system in human body is not just complex rather it has to sustain with several demanding conditions. There are so many strong contenders to win the race for strongest muscle and the factor used for comparison are growth, function, size, healing abilities, the response for pain, durability, lift, load, strength, and longevity. The human body is loaded with 630 muscles so you may have to compare them all to find out the strongest one. The fact is that strongest muscle of your body needs to work continuously without getting tired. It has to fulfill the peak demands on the body while managing all functions flawlessly.
The answer is right here
The question remains as it is; what is the strongest muscle in the human body? Well, if you can feel the blood flow inside then you can predict the answer. Yes! It is your heart that makes the strongest muscle of your body. It has won all the arguments with its amazing capabilities.
The heart starts its work right within 21 days of conception. This single cell pump grows in form of four different chambers and slowly it takes a form of major muscle that also takes care of functionality of all other muscles and even every different part of human body. It beats 115,000 times in a day and pumps almost 200-gallon blood into arteries. The veins associated with it travel the estimated distance of 12,000 miles per day while initiating a fight against gravity to ensure proper delivery of nutrients to all tissues, nerves, muscles, and organs.
The continuous force of action generated by human heart makes it able to maintain the blood flow with contractions. It helps our body to breathe, perform the task of exchanging gases with different levels of respiration and also helps to deliver oxygen to different parts of the body while leading the waste products out of the body. It is unique when compared to all other muscles and its uniqueness is defined in terms of its amazing ability to adjust as well as continue functionality even under great stress.
The heart has its own defensive powers that make it work even in tough conditions. Whenever blood supply gets obstructed due to clotting of arteries, the heart takes the responsibility to send collateral feeds so that clot can be bypassed without affecting the delivery of blood to every other part of the body. Even when a heart attack occurs, this strong muscle has an ability to beat all odd forces and can maintain its operation. In its average lifetime, the heart has the power to beat the problems almost 3 billion times and it ensures delivery of almost one million gallon blood to the entire body.
When heart ceases beating, life ends. It is responsible for the sustainability of human body. Indeed, it is the strongest muscle in your body and we cannot afford its failure because it costs death. So, do you think that you have few responsibilities towards this hyperactive muscle of your body? Yeah! We know that it is already the strongest one but at the same time, it has to play several essential roles to assist the whole body to function well. It is really important to make efforts to improve the health of heart so that it can perform all its duties well.
Here we are going to talk about five major lifestyle habits that can help you to maintain the health of the strongest muscle of your body so that it can work tirelessly for years.
- Choose healthy fats: There is no doubt to say that fats are an essential part of our diet and they are generally of three types: unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and saturated fats. The one that are not required by our body are trans fats as they can increase the risk of stroke or other heart diseases. The fact is that trans fats try to clog blood carrying arteries with a boost in bad cholesterol levels so it is really important to remove them from your diet.
- Importance of Dental Hygiene: Dental health is important for the whole body including the heart. Medical doctors reveal that those who have poor dental health often face more risks of heart disease. Studies show that bacteria that develop in the mouth due to gum diseases often lead to the bloodstream and with time they can also cause inflammation in blood vessels. Ultimately, it brings risk to your heart and increases chances of stroke.
- Enjoy good sleep: Sleep performs the important action of maintaining heart health. Researchers have proven that those who do not take proper sleep often face more risk of cardiovascular disease and it can happen irrespective of age or other lifestyle habits. At an average, a person requires 6 hours sleep per night to avoid heart issues.
- Ensure body movement: No matter how much exercise you do. If you keep seated for several hours then your heart may suffer many bad impacts. The bad news is that most of the people these days are involved with such jobs where they have to sit for many hours in a day and this is the biggest reason behind increasing cases of heart diseases. The best idea is to take few shorter walks at your workstation so that your body can restore its activity and heart can stay well.
- Avoid Smoking: This is the key to success. If you want to enjoy great heart health than the best idea is to avoid smoke, even second-hand smoke is injurious so one must avoid that too. The fact is that non-smokers who get exposed to second-hand smoke in routine are also suffering from heart diseases. So, doctors advise taking preventive actions to stay away even from second-hand smoke.
Once you practice all these good lifestyle habits, soon your heart will regain its ability to function well without getting tired. It is your responsibility to assist the strongest and most useful muscle of your body to have a trouble free work cycle.