Patricia Kayira
Mar 8
Explain the process of breathing mechanism in human?
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Mar 8
The process of breathing in humans involves several steps:
1. Inhalation: When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, while the intercostal muscles between the ribs also contract, causing the rib cage to expand. This creates a negative pressure in the chest cavity, which causes air to be drawn into the lungs through the nose or mouth.
2. Air passage: The air travels through the trachea (windpipe) and into the bronchial tubes, which branch out into smaller tubes called bronchioles. These bronchioles lead to tiny air sacs called alveoli, where gas exchange takes place.
3. Gas exchange: In the alveoli, oxygen from the inhaled air diffuses into the bloodstream through the thin walls of the capillaries surrounding the alveoli. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, diffuses from the blood into the alveoli to be exhaled.
4. Exhalation: When we breathe out, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax, causing the chest cavity to decrease in size. This increases the pressure in the lungs, forcing air out of the lungs through the trachea and out of the nose or mouth.
This process of inhalation and exhalation is controlled by the respiratory center in the brainstem, which regulates the rate and depth of breathing based on the body's needs for oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide.
1. Inhalation: When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, while the intercostal muscles between the ribs also contract, causing the rib cage to expand. This creates a negative pressure in the chest cavity, which causes air to be drawn into the lungs through the nose or mouth.
2. Air passage: The air travels through the trachea (windpipe) and into the bronchial tubes, which branch out into smaller tubes called bronchioles. These bronchioles lead to tiny air sacs called alveoli, where gas exchange takes place.
3. Gas exchange: In the alveoli, oxygen from the inhaled air diffuses into the bloodstream through the thin walls of the capillaries surrounding the alveoli. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, diffuses from the blood into the alveoli to be exhaled.
4. Exhalation: When we breathe out, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax, causing the chest cavity to decrease in size. This increases the pressure in the lungs, forcing air out of the lungs through the trachea and out of the nose or mouth.
This process of inhalation and exhalation is controlled by the respiratory center in the brainstem, which regulates the rate and depth of breathing based on the body's needs for oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide.
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