Respiratory System

Parts of respiratory

system

• Nasal cavity

• Oral cavity

• Trachea

• Bronchi

• Lung

• Alveoli

• Diaphragm

Functions of upper respiratory tract:

nasal/oral cavities and trachea • Nose/Mouth:

• Filters air, Warms air, Moistens air. Also Provides resonance in speech (so you don’t sound funny)

• Larynx: “voice box” Holds our vocal chords.

• Trachea:

• Commonly called your “wind pipe.” Air travels down it to

your lungs

Functions of the lower respiratory tract:

bronchi, lung, alveoli, diaphragm

• Bronchi: Branches that “stem” off of the trachea and lead to lungs. Divides into smaller tubes called bronchioles. These tubes carry oxygen through your lungs.

Functions of Lungs

• Lung: Holds bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli.

• Fact: Lungs are the only organ in the body that

can float on water.

Function of Alveoli

• Alveoli: Lungs contain approx. 600 million

alveoli. Where exchange of oxygen (from

air) and carbon dioxide (from body)

occurs.

Function of diaphragm

• Diaphragm: Responsible for breathing.

When the diaphragm contracts, the

ribcage expands and the contents of the

abdomen are moved downward. When the

diaphragm relaxes, the air is forced out of

the body.

Epiglottis Is the part of your body that flops

down over the windpipe when you

swallow to keep food from going into

your lungs. Without your epiglottis,

you would cough or choke every

time you eat.

What’s a hiccup?

• Ever wonder what a hiccup is? It’s an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm that forces air out of the lungs. The blast of air speeds through the vocal chords closing the epiglottis making the familiar hiccup sound.

• How do you cure hiccups? There are over 50 methods believed to get rid of hiccups. What have you heard?

Why do we yawn?

• When your breathing becomes slower than normal, there is less oxygen delivered to your body. A yawn is the bodies way of taking a large amount of oxygen in at once to compensate for slower breathing. Typically, we yawn when we’re tired because our breathing slows down. People often also make a connection with yawning and boredom (but not in health class).

Nasal Cavity

Oral Cavity

Larynx

Trachea

Lung

Bronchi

Diaphragm Alveoli

Bronchioles

(Voice Box)

Epiglottis

Asthma Research

• Go to www.kidshealth.org

• Click on teens

• Type asthma into the search box on the

left.

• Choose the article called asthma. It

should be the 5th one down.

• Answer the questions using the article.