Blood Vessels and Their Functions
Think of your blood vessels as a three-part delivery system that keeps you alive 24/7. Arteries are the motorways that carry blood away from your heart at high speed. Capillaries are the tiny local roads where all the important exchanges happen. Veins are the return routes that bring blood back to your heart.
Arteries are built like reinforced tunnels because they handle serious pressure. When your heart pumps, it creates massive force, so artery walls are thick and strong with elastic fibres and smooth muscle. These elastic fibres work like springs - they stretch when blood surges through, then snap back to keep the flow moving.
The walls of arteries are thick compared to their lumen (the space inside). Arteries branch into smaller vessels called arterioles, which then connect to capillaries.
Quick Tip: Remember "A for Away" - arteries carry blood away from the heart!
