Capillaries - What are they?

Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels that exist throughout your body. You may know about arteries and veins, but not capillaries. It is time we changed that. 

Capilliaries connect your arteries and veins. They are the smallest blood vessels, as small as 8 to 10 micrometres. Just for context, a micrometre is a millionth of a metre.In fact, capilliaries are so tiny that blood flows through them in a single file.

They play a vital role in a number of critical functions in your body.

For example, they allow your bone marrow to enter your blood stream. They form the blood-brain-barrier, preventing toxins from entering your brain. They deliver hormones to your organs. They remove faulty red blood cells and bacteria from your liver.

If that is not enough, they are the agency that transfers oxygen into your bloodstream and carbon dioxide out. They are important to your existence.

If you have ever seen a red dot on your skin, that was a burst capillary. They are so thin, and have just one layer of tissue, known as the endothelial layer, that they can burst easily.

So, how can you take care of yours? 

One simple method is exercise. When you exercise, the rate of blood flow in your body can increase by up to twenty times. The body responds by producing more capillaries to transfer blood. 

The concept of capilary density refers to the quantity of these blood vessels in a given area of your body. For example, if you have larger muscles, you would have a greater surface area on which to build capiliaries. 

So building muscle through strength training and walking collectively helps create more surface area and more capiliaries to transfer blood. 

Your flow of blood improves. 

If you still needed a reason to start exercising, here is another one. 

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