The Effect of Exercise on Pulse Count and Blood Pressure at Rest and After Exercise in Humans

Nick Wassam
Alyssa Ritter, Nicole Wilski
Yunqing Yu
Biology 240W, Section 018
Feb. 24, 2011

















The Effect of Exercise on Pulse Count and Blood Pressure at Rest and After
Exercise in Humans

Introduction:
Humans, like every organism, need to transport gas and nutrients throughout the body.
Humans have two organ systems to carry out gas exchange. The two systems are the circulatory
system and the respiratory system. The circulatory system consists of the heart, blood vessels,
and blood. The respiratory system consists of the lungs, trachea, and bronchial tree. In this lab
we will focus solely on the circulatory system.
Figure . Blood flow through the heart and circuits


The mammalian heart has four chambers; two atria and two ventricles. The atria receive
the blood from veins and the ventricles pump blood into the arteries. The right atrium receives
poorly-oxygenated blood from the systemic circuit and pumps it through the atrioventricular
(AV) valve into the right ventricle. The heart has valves to prevent the backflow of blood, and
keeps flow of blood unidirectional. The right ventricle then pumps the blood through the
semilunar valve into the pulmonary circuit. Blood returns from the pulmonary circuit and enters
the left atrium. The left atrium pumps the blood, which is now rich in oxygen, through the AV
valve into the left ventricle. The left ventricle then pumps blood into the systemic circuit through
the aortic semilunar valve (Reece et al, 2011; Nelson and Burpee, 2011).
The heart is responsible for pumping the blood throughout the closed circulatory system
in humans. This closed system is made up of three main types of blood vessels: arteries, veins
and capillaries. The blood vessels house the blood and allow it to flow throughout the entire
body. Arteries carry blood from the heart to the capillaries where gas exchange occurs. The
capillaries are very thin to allow for gas exchange to occur. Blood then flows into the veins
where it is returned to the heart (Reece et al, 2011).
When resting, all tissues are adequately oxygenated and all surplus carbon dioxide is
removed (Nelson and Burpee, 2011). Exercise increases the metabolic rate and a higher demand
for gas occurs in muscles. This increase in demand for gas exchange causes the circulatory
system to divert oxygen rich blood to organs that need it. Heart rate and blood pressure both
increase with exercise as well. The organs in use during exercise demand a higher rate of
exchange of gases and this causes the heart to pump faster to move oxygen rich blood to the
organs in use. This increase in heart rate also correlates with an increase in blood pressure. When
skeletal muscles around veins are contracting this increases pressure in the veins and will help
blood flow faster back to the heart (Nelson and Burpee, 2011).
Heart rate is the rate at which the heart beats. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in
the vessels. Blood pressure is influenced by two components: cardiac output and peripheral
resistance. Cardiac output is the volume of blood that is pumped through the left ventricle in a
given amount of time. Peripheral resistance is the resistance to flow in the blood vessels that
keeps blood pressure from dropping to zero in between heart beats (Nelson and Burpee, 2011). If
blood pressure were to drop to zero, there would be no blood flow. When blood pressure is at its
highest point it is termed systole. When blood pressure is at its lowest point it is called diastole.
Blood pressure is high in arteries and drops as it reaches capillaries (Reece et al, 2011).
Exercise can help to keep the heart strong. A strong and healthy heart will have a lower
resting heart rate because it needs to beat less since each beat has an increased cardiac output. A
person who exercises often will see less of an increase in heart rate, and blood pressure, during
physical activity. Meaning the more one exercises, the healthier the persons heart will be (The
Franklin Institute, 2011).
The objective of this lab is to see if the amount of time (in minutes) spent exercising per
week has a correlation to heart rate and blood pressure. Exercise raises heart rate, therefore if an
individual exercises more than 140 minutes per week, the heart rate will be lower when resting
or exercising when compared to those who exercise less than 140 minutes per week. Blood
pressure will remain more consistent in those exercising more than 140 minutes per week
because there will be less of a change in heart rate when compared to individuals exercising less
than 140 minutes per week. By collecting background information on how much each individual
exercises per week, and by collecting data at rest, and immediately after exercise, this lab will
test to see if time spent exercising affects cardiovascular activity.
Results:
The results were taken from pooled data from Penn State students in sections 005, 018,
and 024 of Biology 240W. The resting data, shown in Table 1, shows that on average those who
exercise more than 140 minutes per week have a slightly lower pulse count and systolic blood
pressure than those who exercise less than 140 minutes per week. A graphical representation of
this data is in Figure 1, which also shows the slight difference in resting pulse count and systolic
blood pressure of the two populations. Both Table 1 and Figure 1 do not show a difference in
resting diastolic blood pressure.
Resting Level Values:
Table 1: Resting level
values of Pulse count and
blood pressure:

Average SE
<140min/week >140min/week <140min/week >140min/week
Pulse
count 39.52 37.48 1.40 0.96
Sys.BP 124.16 122.45 2.22 1.88
Dias.BP 72.36 72.48 1.59 1.84

The exercise data is shown in tables 2 through 4 and graphed in figures 2 through 4. This
data shows the average percent difference in pulse count, systolic blood pressure and diastolic
blood pressure after exercise in tables and figures 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Table 2 and Figure 2
show that after 15 and 30 step exercises there is a slight difference in change of pulse count in
the two populations. Those who exercise less than 140 minutes per week see less of a change in
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Figure 1. Resting Heart Rate and Blood
Pressure in People who exercise more and
less than 140 minutes per week
<140min/week
>140min/week
pulse count after 15-step and 30-step exercises than do those who exercise more than 140
minutes per week.
Exercise Data:

Table 2: Normalized average change in pulse count/30sec after exercise
Pulse
count
av. % diff SE
<140min/week >140min/week <140min/week >140min/week
15-steps 11.79 13.26 4.23 2.43
30-steps 42.43 46.81 5.81 3.89

Table 3 and Figure 3 show the average percent difference in systolic blood pressure of
the two populations. After 15-step exercises, the average change of systolic blood pressure in
those who exercise more than 140 minutes per week increased more than the second population.
After the 30-step exercise both populations showed a similar average percent difference in
systolic blood pressure.



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Figure 2. Average Percent Difference in
Heart Rate after exercise in people who
exercise more and less than 140 minutes
per week
<140min/week
>140min/week
Exercise Data:

Table 3: Normalized average change in systolic BP after exercise
av. % diff SE
Sys.BP <140min/week >140min/week <140min/week >140min/week
15-steps 9.10 6.23 1.67 1.53
30-steps 18.73 18.79 2.66 2.25

Table 4 and Figure 4 show the average percent difference in diastolic blood pressure after
exercise in the two populations. Those who exercise less than 140 minutes per week see an
increase in diastolic blood pressure after both the 15-step and 30-step exercises as compared to
the resting data. Those who exercise more than 140 minutes per week see, on average, a decrease
in diastolic blood pressure after the 15-step exercise and a slight increase in diastolic blood
pressure after the 30-step exercise.
Exercise Data:

Table 4: Normalized average change in diastolic BP after exercise
av. % diff SE
Dias.BP <140min/week >140min/week <140min/week >140min/week
15-steps 0.72 -1.75 3.64 1.68
30-steps 15.00 6.52 3.58 3.00
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Figure 3. Average Percent Difference in
Systolic Blood Pressure after exercise in
people who exercise more and less than
140 minute per week
<140min/week
>140min/week

Comparing the exercise data to the resting data in both populations shows that, on
average, those who exercise less than 140 minutes per week see less of an increase in pulse count
and systolic blood pressure than those who exercise more than 140 minutes per week, but those
who exercise less than 140 minutes per week see a greater increase in diastolic blood pressure
after exercise than the other population.
A T-test was performed on the data to see if there was a significant difference between
the two populations. T-tests were performed on the two populations for resting pulse count,
percent difference in pulse count after 15-step and 30-step exercises, resting systolic blood
pressure, percent difference in systolic blood pressure after 15-step and 30-step exercises, resting
diastolic blood pressure, and percent difference in diastolic blood pressure after 15-step and 30-
step exercises. The values of all the T-tests, shown in Table 5, are all over the p-value of 0.05.
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Figure 4. Average Percent Difference in Diastolic
Blood Pressure after exercise in people who
exercise more and less than 140 minutes per
week
<140min/week
>140min/week
This means that there was no significant difference between the two populations in any of the
categories.

Discussion:
The data shows that those who exercise less than 140 minutes per week experience less
of a change in pulse count and systolic blood pressure. This means that those who exercise more
than 140 minutes per week can readily increase heart rate and blood pressure to compensate for
the exercise being performed. The initial hypothesis that there would be less of a difference in
rate with those who exercise more than 140 minutes per week was incorrect. In order to test how
fast the heart can recover from exercise, another experiment must be performed where pulse
count and blood pressure are measured at some time interval after exercise. This test will better
show how exercise can influence cardiovascular indicators and the bodys ability to recover from
exercise in humans. This will better show effects on indicators because it will answer if exercise
affects the bodys ability to recover from exercise.
There are many possible sources of error for the experiment. A constant instrument for
measuring heart rate and blood pressure was not used. The experiment could include a machine
that measure blood pressure instead of having each person measure anothers pulse and blood
pressure. The experiment did not take into account how quickly the subjects recover from
exercise. It is possible that those who exercise more than 140 minute per week may recover
Table 5: T-
Test values for
the two
populations



Pulse Count Systolic Blood Pressure Diastolic Blood Pressure
T-
Test Resting
% Diff. 15-
step
% Diff. 30-
step Resting
% Diff. 15-
Step
% Diff. 30-
step Resting
% Diff. 15-
step
% Diff. 30-
step
0.754 0.521 0.557 0.213 0.987 0.961 0.514 0.073
before those who do not exercise as often. This would correlate with the greater increase in pulse
count and systolic blood pressure, if the amount of time to recover was shorter than that of the
population who exercises less than 140 minutes per week. If the increase is greater but recovery
time is shorter, this shows the body can easily change to provide nutrients where needed.
Another source of error not taken into account is the age, height, weight, and relative health of
the participants. As humans age, physical ability, including heart function, normally peaks
around 20 years of age (Ravussin and Bogardus, 1989). Since age, height, weight and relative
health were ignored in the experiment, it is hard to distinguish between those who are relatively
fit, meaning in good physical health, and those who are obese or not physically fit. Ravussin and
Bogardus (1989), explore the effects of sex, age, and weight on daily energy consumption. The
Ravussin and Bogardus experiment can be modified to relate to this experiment if you measure
the effects of age, weight, and physical fitness on cardiovascular indicators before, during and
after exercise.
In conclusion the data shows that the hypothesis was incorrect and there was no
significant difference between the two populations. Sources of error can be identified and fixed
in revised experiments and compared to information from previous studies. An alternative
hypothesis is, in those who exercise more than 140 minutes per week, pulse count and blood
pressure after exercise will increase more than those who do not exercise. The increase in pulse
count and blood pressure in this population will return to normal before those who exercise less
than 140 minutes per week.
Methods and Materials:
Data was collected in three sections of Biology 240W at Penn State University.
Background data was collected from all individuals in all sections. In each section groups of four
collected individual data of resting pulse, and blood pressure. A stethoscope and
sphygmomanometer were used to measure blood pressure in the brachial artery. To collect
exercise data, each individual performed a standardized 15- step and 30-step exercise. In order to
keep a standardized count, a metronome was used so that each individual took a step onto a box
15 times per minute and 30 times per minute for the 15-step and 30-step exercises, respectively.
Pulse was recorded 15 seconds after exercise stopped and blood pressure was taken immediately
after exercise stopped (Nelson and Burpee, 2011).
Resources:
Nelson, K. and Burpee, D. 2011. Cardiovascular Physiology: The Relationship between Gas
Exchange and Cardiac Activity. Lab Manual. Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, PA (2011).
Ravussin and Bogardus, 1989 Relationship of genetics, age, and physical fitness to daily
energy expenditure and fuel utilization The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
American Society for Clinical Nutrition, USA (1989).
Reece et al, 2011. Circulation and Gas Exchange, Campbell Biology: Ninth Edition, Pearson
Education Inc., Pearson Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, CA (2011).
The Franklin Institute, 2011 The Human Heart Retrieved from
http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/index.html The Franklin Institute (2011).