Understanding the mechanism of breathing in human beings

Breathing is actually a mechanical procedure consisting of 2 stages:
1) Inspiration or inhalation or intake of fresh air into the lungs.
2) Expiration or exhalation or out push of foul and ingested air out from the lungs.
Breathing is actually associated with the existence of life itself. The lungs their selves can neither draw in air nor force it outside the body. Subsequently, human beings breath by means of suction pump procedure. The chest-wall as well as the diaphragm acts to be a substantial pump in relocating air within and outside the lungs. In humans throughout ordinary breathing, 500ml of air moves inside and outside the lungs with every breath.
 
Process of breathing:
We realize that breathing is made of 2 stages known as breathing in or inspiration and breathing out or expiration. Countless factors make up the actual mechanism of breathing, such as.
(1) Contraction and relaxation of the intercostal muscles in between the ribs create changes in the posture of ribs and sternum. Whenever those muscles contract, the ribs are raised and progress further up as well as in front and as these muscles relax, the ribs become down and transfer inward and backward. The bone of the chest additionally relocates to the inner side and to the back.
(2) Contraction and relaxation of the muscles of diaphragm produce variations in its shape. Once all these muscles contract, the diaphragm results in being dome shaped or convex
(3) The spongy and also flexible form of the lungs triggers expansion and contraction. Lungs broaden during the process inhalation and contract during exhalation.

Breathing in or inspiration:
In the humans, breathing in is not passive procedure. For the period of inspiration, the intercostal muscles among the rib cage of body contract and drag the ribs towards the front and outwards, pushing the sternum further aside from the spine. Because of the contraction of the intercostal muscles and of the diaphragm, the measurements of the chest as one is raised and the pleural cavities in it are as a result enhanced. Because the pleural cavities are not open hence their enhancement sometimes build partial vacuum in them. The lungs are actually stretchy and are in communication with the environment through the air passages (trachea, bronchi). When the force round the lungs is lessened, the air from outside flows within them via the trachea and bronchi. This way the lungs extend to stuff the pleural cavities and the stress inside and on the outside of the chest becomes equal. As a result the system of human breathing is a suction-pump mechanism. The lungs are made in such a way that they have the ability to expand and contract by motions of the ribs and diaphragm.

Breathing out or expiration:
Breathing out in humans is often a passive process. In intense muscular exercise however, the breathing out also gets energy consuming. During the process of expiration, the intercostal muscles of the ribs relax, the ribs move towards the lower aspect and towards the inner side. Hence the volume of the chest cavity is diminished from side to side. The sternum comes to its original spot, lowering the size of the chest cavity from the front to rear. Simultaneously muscles of the diaphragm relax therefore, the diaphragm takes on its dome shaped position. Thus together with the relaxation of the muscles of diaphragm and of the intercostal muscles, the specifications of the chest cavity all together is lessened. This lessening in the volume of the chest puts stress on the lungs. The lungs theirselves are extremely flexible and usually tend to come back to their original measurements. When the lungs are pushed, the waste air in them is expelled or expiration takes place.

Suggested Pages on the Web:
The following pages are related to this article and should be read to grasp the concept of mechanism of breathing completely.
Human Breathing Mechanism
Differentiating respiration and breathing
Respiration and breathing: The difference

Understanding breathing and respiration

Commonly the terms respiration and breathing are used as if they have the same meaning but actually the two are very different processes and they need to be distinguished from one another. In simple terms the respiration is a large scale process of the living body and breathing is just a phase of the overall large scale process of respiration. Breathing is the starting phase of the process of respiration and respiration is a process which has its roots at the cellular level of the bodies of living organisms. To elaborate the difference between respiration and breathing, they need to be separately defined and understood.

Respiration:

Respiration is one of the characteristic processes of life and without the process of respiration life cannot survive. It is one of the key features of life. The process of respiration can be defined as the process in which the organic food is utilized at cellular level to produce energy for all the activities of the body. From the definition it is clear that respiration is the process which is responsible for production of energy for the activities of living organisms. Without respiration the energy demand of the living bodies cannot be met. Because energy is continuously needed by the living organisms therefore respiration is also a continuous process and it continues 24 hours a day. In the process of respiration oxygen is used to oxidize the organic food materials to obtain energy from them thus oxygen is a necessary requirement of the process of respiration and without oxygen respiration cannot take place. The actual process of obtaining energy from food occurs at the cellular level but the transport of oxygen to the cells and obtaining of oxygen occurs at a bigger level.

Breathing:

Respiration needs oxygen to burn the food to get energy from it and breathing is the phase of respiration in which oxygen is brought into the body. Respiration is a chemical process but breathing is a purely mechanical process in which the lungs suck the air in and then expel it out. When the air is sucked in, the oxygen is transferred from the lungs to the blood from where it goes to the cells of the body. When the air is expelled out, the carbon dioxide is excreted from the body. So it is clear that breathing is that phase of the process of respiration in which the body gets oxygen from air and releases carbon dioxide out.

Suggestions:

• Respiratory system