Pulse Rate Lab Report

The effect of exercise on cardiovascular functions such as pulse rate, pulse lag, the PT interval, the TP interval, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure is noticeable after running down the steps of Long Hall and back up to the third floor. As Table 1 shows, the data support the initial hypothesis that the pulse rate will increase, the pulse lag will decrease, both the PT and TP intervals will decrease, and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure will increase. The pulse rate mean before exercise was about 78 beats per minute, also shown in Table 1, which is consistent with scientific literature stating that the resting heart beat of adults should be between sixty and a hundred beats per minute, as discussed in the introduction. The pulse rate after exercise was almost 100 beats per minute, which is significantly higher than the resting heart rate. The chi-square value was 6.368 with a p-value of 0.0116. Since the p-value is less than the alpha level of 0.05, we reject the null hypothesis that there is no different between the pulse rate before and after exercise. A similar pattern exists for blood pressure.
This increase results from the heart also pumping with greater intensity, increasing the volume of the blood. As a result, the amount of oxygen flowing to the body during exercise also increases. An increase in blood volume is analogous to an increase in blood pressure. Pescatello, Fargo, et al (1991) found that men who exercised regularly lowered their blood pressure, preventing and mediating hypertension. Because the heart is pumping more blood at a greater frequency during exercise, the muscle is essentially strengthening, getting more efficient, so that at rest, it functions better. Thus, exercise causes immediate increases in pulse rate and blood pressure, but causes a lowering in both when the body returns to a resting