1. You and your friends munch away happily on pretzels and salted popcorn during Superbowl Sunday. Could this temporarily affect your blood volume and pressure? If so, how? Why is this effect probably temporary? Explain the mechanisms involved.

2. You enter the Olympic stadium and the crowd goes wild! Thinking about your next gold medal, you notice that your palms are sweaty and your skin is cold. What mechanisms produce these effects? After your race, you notice that now your skin is hot and flushed. What produces these effects?

3. During your next Olympic event, the marathon race, you notice that people hand you drinks that contain sugar and salt. Why are these drinks better than pure water during a prolonged bout of exercise?

4. During your exercise, it suddenly occurs to you that your rapidly beating heart has less time to fill with blood between beats. You panic for a moment, but then your fear subsides when you remember that your stroke volume doesn’t decrease, but actually increases, during normal exercise. What mechanisms produce this effect?

5. Pregnant women often develop swollen ankles. Why? (Hint: Think of the location of the fetus and its effect on maternal blood flow.)

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