What is respiration in human?

RESPIRATION

The body’s trillions of cells require an uninterrupted supply of oxygen to release the energy they need to stay alive. They get this by means of a process called respiration. Air containing oxygen is breathed into the body by the respiratory system. Oxygen enters the bloodstream through the lungs and is carried to body cells. Waste carbon dioxide is carried by the blood to the lungs and breathed out.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Located in the head, neck, and chest, the respiratory system consists of the lungs, which fill most of the chest, and the air passages – nasal cavity, throat, larynx, trachea, and bronchi – that carry air. This X-ray shows the parts of the respiratory system located in the chest.

  1. TRACHEA Also called the windpipe, this flexible tube carries air between the larynx (voice box) at the base of the throat and the two bronchi that arise at its lower end. Up to 20 C-shaped rings of cartilage that encircle the trachea hold it open when you breathe in. Mucus lining the trachea cleans the incoming air by trapping dirt and germs, a process that began in the nasal cavity.
  2. BRONCHIAL TREE Once inside a lung, each bronchus divides into smaller bronchi that then spilt even further. These, in turn, divide repeatedly to form smaller branches called bronchioles. This arrangement is often called “the bronchial tree” because its structure looks like an upside-down tree with the trachea as the trunk, bronchi as branches, and bronchioles as twigs.
  3. BRONCHIOLES AND ALVEOLI The narrowest bronchioles end in 300 million air-filled bags called alveoli that fill most of the lungs and are surrounded by blood capillaries. Oxygen passes through the wall of each alveolus into the bloodstream in exchange for carbon dioxide, which moves in the opposite direction. The alveoli provide a large surface across which this exchange can take place efficiently.
  4. DIAPHRAGM Situated just below the lungs, the diaphragm plays a key role in breathing. When breathing in, the diaphragm contracts and flattens as muscles pull the ribs upwards and outwards. This increases the space in the chest so that air is sucked into the lungs. When breathing out the relaxed diaphragm is pushed upwards, and the ribs move downwards and inwards, squeezing air from the lungs.

Picture Credit : Google

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