RESPIRATORY SYSTEM BASICS

Chapter 3 Lesson 3

The Respiratory System

It provides your body’s cells with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide waste.

Where it begins

The respiratory process begins in the mouth and nose. The mouth and nose both use filter systems

to clean the air before entering the lungs. Air is also warmed up before entering the

lungs. Air is warmed up so your body temperature

stays normal. Cold air = cold body temperature.

What comes next?

The air then moves through the throat into the windpipe (trachea) The trachea is made up of cartilage rings.

These rings protect your airway! 15-20 cartilage rings line

your windpipe.

The Human Respiratory System

Entering the lungs…

The air enters the lungs through the bronchi.

The bronchi then split into bronchioles.

Bronchioles then split further until become alveoli.

Your lung contains over 150 million alveoli.

Gas exchange (putting oxygen back into the blood) happens at the alveoli.

Alveoli

The Breathing Process

Inhaling and exhaling are made possible by the diaphragm. Diaphragm: a thin, dome-shaped muscle that

divides the chest from the abdomen.

When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and drops down, letting air into the lungs.

When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and pops up, forcing air out of the lungs.

Respiratory Problems

Respiratory Infections: caused by viruses and bacteria. Most common are the flu and colds

Bronchitis: inflammation of the bronchial tubes Acute Bronchitis: lasts one to two weeks Chronic Bronchitis: recurs over a person’s

lifetime, often getting worse. These people should avoid things that irritate the respiratory system, like smoke and dust.

Respiratory Problems Continued… Asthma: inflammation narrows or blocks

bronchial tubes, causing wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing.

Emphysema: A lung disease that involves damage to the alveoli. Most times caused by smoking

Lung Cancer: produces tumors that destroy healthy tissue in the lungs. Mainly caused by smoking or secondhand smoke

Without the respiratory system… Our hearts would not beat. We would not be able to talk!

The respiratory system allows us to talk. Air passing by organs causes vibrations which creates sound. This sound is our voice.

You could have brain damage. When the brain does not get oxygen, it shuts down.

Your body wouldn’t function.

Ways to Care for Your Respiratory System

Exercise Regularly- makes diaphragm and lungs stronger

Avoid polluted air- it can damage tissue in the lungs

Avoid tobacco smoke- it’s a major cause of respiratory disease

Seek medical help for respiratory infections

Sit, stand and walk with correct posture- allows you to breathe easy

Respiratory System Facts

Hairs in the nose help to clean the air we breathe as well as warming it.

The highest recorded "sneeze speed" is 165 km per hour.

The surface area of the lungs is roughly the same size as a tennis court.

More Facts!

We lose half a liter of water a day through breathing. This is the water vapor we see when we breathe onto glass.

A person at rest usually breathes between 12 and 15 times a minute.

Yawning brings more oxygen into the lungs.