PHYSIOLOGY OF

BREATHING

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

HOW YOUR LUNGS WORK

The first stage of breathing, inhaling
air into your lungs, is called
inspiration or inhalation.
Inspiration happens because of a
large breathing muscle called the
diaphragm, which is located
underneath the lungs in the ribcage.

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

THE BREATHING MUSCLES

When you inhale, the diaphragm and
muscles between your ribs contract,
creating negative pressure or
vacuum inside your chest cavity.
The negative pressure draws the air
that you breathe into your lungs.

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

INFLATION OF THE LUNGS

Lungs are not hollow like balloons,
but are made of spongy, flexible
tissue that inflates when filled with
air.
So, how does the air get in there?
Where does it go? Lets follow a
breath of air from start to finish.

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

TAKING ABREATH
When you take a breath, the air goes
in through your nose and mouth and
travels down your throat, through
your voice box and into the trachea,
which is also known as the windpipe.

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

06/07/15

PHYSIOLOGY OF BREATHING

ENTERING THELUNGS
The end of your trachea splits into an
upside down Y-shape and forms the
bronchi.
Air passes through either the right or
left bronchus into both sides of the
lungs.

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ENTERING THE
BRONCHIALTREE
Inside of the lungs, the bronchi
branch off into bronchioles, which
look similar to branches of a tree.

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BRANCHING OUT
INTOBRONCHIOLES
The air flows through the
bronchioles, which keep getting
smaller until the air reaches the ends
of the branches.

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FILLING UP AIRPOCKETS
At the ends of the bronchioles are
clusters of little pockets that collect
the air, called alveoli.

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GASEXHANGE
When the air reaches the alveoli,
oxygen diffuses through the
membrane into small blood vessels
called capillaries, and carbon dioxide
diffuses from the blood in the
capillaries into the alveoli.

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BLOWING IT ALLOUT
The second stage of breathing, blowing air out
of the lungs, is called expiration or exhalation.
After the oxygen and carbon dioxide trade
places in the alveoli, the diaphragm relaxes
and positive pressure is restored to the chest
cavity.
This forces the used air out of the lungs,
following the reverse of the path that it used to
get in the lungs.
The entire breathing process is repeated 10 to
20 times per minute in a healthy adult.
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