How do we breathe? The lungs and diaphragm work together to bring oxygen into the lungs and to move carbon dioxide out of your lungs.
The diaphragm is a large muscle that is found under your lungs. Your lungs are actually composed of millions of tiny air sacs and depend on the diaphragm in order to inflate
Your rib cage also helps out by having cartilage which allows the rib cage to expand and contract.
When you take a deep breath your diaphragm moves down and a low-pressure area is created and air flows into your nose and mouth. This process is your respiratory system hard at work.
Air enters the nose and mouth and enters the nasal passages.
Your nose and nasal passages have tiny hairs called cilia and mucus that help filter dirt and pollen out of the air.
The air next moves to the pharynx which is located at (the back of the mouth)
From the pharynx, it moves to the larynx which is commonly called the voice box.
the voice box (makes sounds when air
passes over the vocal cords)
Epiglottis: the flap of connective tissue that covers
over the larynx during breathing
It stands open during breathing, allowing air into the larynx. During swallowing, it closes to prevent choking on food
From the larynx, air travels to the Trachea which is a rigid tube made of cartilage.
The trachea leads into two tubes called the left and right bronchus
These tubes continue to branch until you reach a tiny air sac called a alveoli
At the alveoli, oxygen diffuses into the capillaries and carbon dioxide diffuse into the alveoli and is exhaled.
As you exhale the diaphragm moves upward and carbon dioxide and airflows out.