The Amazing Respiratory System: The Lungs

 

The Amazing Respiratory System: The Lungs

What are the lungs, and what are their functions? Most of us learn about the lungs in elementary school, but many people don't think about them again until they have respiratory issues or are asked to donate them after death. This can be unfortunate since knowing more about your lungs can help you stay healthy and live longer. In this article, we'll cover what the lungs are, how they work, and some common lung issues you might encounter. Read on to learn more about your unique respiratory system!

What are the lungs and their functions?

Our respiratory system is a series of organs that work together to help us breathe. Our lungs are the organs that allow us to do this; they are also the largest organ in our body! They're filled with little blood vessels, and air sacs called alveoli, which take oxygen from the air and send it into our bloodstream. A healthy person breathes 12-20 times per minute. As we breathe, air travels down into our lungs, passing over the top of the alveoli and picking up some carbon dioxide from inside the cells. The air then moves back up to the throat and mouth (called exhalation) while passing through tiny hair-like structures called cilia on their way out. These cilia sweep any dust or other particles in the air away before reaching our lungs. If something is harmful in the air, these cilia pick it up, so it doesn't enter our lungs. For example, when you're sick with asthma or pneumonia, your body's ciliary movement slows down, and you're less able to protect yourself from germs and pollutants.

How do the lungs work with the respiratory system?

The components of the respiratory system are the nostrils, the throat, and the lungs. The nose filters and warms air before it enters the throat, sending it to be filtered again by the lungs. Within each lung are hundreds of tiny air sacs called alveoli where oxygen can be exchanged with carbon dioxide and vice versa. This exchange is what makes breathing possible. Carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, must be removed from the body. Oxygen levels in the blood depend on how much oxygen we breathe in and how much we breathe out. How do our lungs work? - Air goes through the nostrils or mouth and passes down to the larynx or voice box (cartilage at the top of your windpipe). From here, it's drawn down into your windpipe (trachea) and travels down two tubes called bronchi until they branch off into smaller ones that go into each lung. These branches divide further until they reach small groups of cells (bronchioles) that lead directly to clusters of alveoli for gas exchange. When you inhale, air fills these cavities, and your diaphragm expands like an accordion. You then exhale back the same way as if you were pushing something heavy away from you; this forces some of the expired air to travel back up through the trachea, bronchi, and pharynx towards your nose and mouth. When you're born, your lungs have not yet been used, so they aren't fully developed. In time, the alveoli will become larger and more numerous, and your ribs will grow, too, making it easier for them to expand during inhalation.

Even though you don't need them after birth, tiny fetal structures called vestigial organs stay inside your chest, such as the thymus gland and tonsils, but their function becomes minimal or obsolete.

If somebody has asthma, their airways may swell because of an allergic reaction, or they may wheeze because fluid builds up in their airways, making it difficult for air to flow freely past tissues.

What happens when you breathe in and out?

When we breathe in, our lungs expand to let air in. This air is warmed and moistened before it travels into the smallest branches of the respiratory system called bronchioles. These bronchioles branch out like a tree inside the lungs, leading to clusters of tiny air sacs called alveoli. Here, oxygen from the inhaled air is released and diffuses across an extremely thin membrane directly into our bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide collected in our blood for hours is released into the alveoli to be exhaled. This process repeats over and over again without us even noticing it—it's all happening without conscious effort on our part! It's this beautiful cycle that keeps our body functioning day after day.

What happens when you don't get enough oxygen?: There are numerous causes for why someone might not receive enough oxygen. An obstruction in their throat or upper airway can make breathing difficult by blocking airflow to their lungs. We may also not get enough oxygen if we have heart problems, such as pulmonary hypertension, or lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Sometimes cancer will start in a person's lungs, making it more difficult for them to breathe because they have trouble clearing mucus from their bronchi or experience frequent chest pain due to tumors pressing on their ribs or other lung tissue. The effects of these conditions vary from person to person, but treatments are available. For instance, people with COPD may need supplemental oxygen or medication. People with heart-related issues may need surgery or medications to help open their airways to get more breathable air. Cancer patients often find relief through chemotherapy and radiation therapy which helps kill the tumor cells and restore lung function.

How do the lungs help you speak?

You may not realize it, but your lungs are some of the most important organs in your body. They protect you from infection by filtering out bacteria and other harmful substances before they reach your bloodstream. The lungs also bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide so that you can have clean blood and breathe easier. It's no wonder that they're often called life-giving organs. So what are the lungs and their function? As mentioned earlier, the lungs filter out bacteria, which means that when we get a cold or flu, our symptoms will be less severe if our lung function is good.

Additionally, lung function protects us from inhaling airborne toxins like smoke. Without a healthy lung function, we wouldn't be able to taste food or smell flowers as well as we do now. We would always feel tired because we don't have enough oxygen flowing through our bodies.

What are the lungs and their function?: There are two lung tissue types- pulmonary and respiratory tissue. Pulmonary tissue lines the inside walls of both lungs where gas exchange occurs (for air to enter the body). Respiratory tissue consists mainly of small sacs called alveoli, where gases are exchanged between the air in the alveoli, and blood passes through capillaries in nearby tissues.

How do the lungs protect you from infection?

What are the lungs and their function?

The lungs are a good place to start if you want to protect your body from infection. Like trees provide oxygen in the atmosphere, our lungs provide oxygen inside our bodies. And just as trees need rain to thrive, we need air to survive. As air passes over the wet spongy tissues in our nose and throat, it picks up tiny bits of liquid from those tissues. These are called humidifiers because they make the air humid enough to breathe deeply. That's what we call inhalation. When air passes out of the mouth and nose, it has already been through our lungs, where oxygen is picked up by blood cells in their red color (called hemoglobin). But before that happens, these red blood cells must first travel through the tiniest capillaries in your lungs, releasing their oxygen molecules into those narrow spaces. That's what we call exhalation or breathing out. Between inhalations and exhalations, all sorts of other things happen in your respiratory system.

Your chest muscles contract to squeeze the air out of your lungs so you can take another breath. Your diaphragm muscle contracts and relaxes, helping force air into and out of your lungs. Tiny tubes (bronchioles) branch off from larger tubes called bronchi that lead directly to the alveoli in your lungs- which is where all this amazing process occurs! Here, the gas exchange occurs. Oxygen comes in, and carbon dioxide goes out. You see, your body produces carbon dioxide when it uses up energy at a rate faster than it can produce more energy. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that leaves your body when you exhale.