Greetings to all and sundry on this platform once again. As a biochemistry student, today I researched "The Respiratory System" and decided to share it with you guys here. I hope that you will enjoy it and also learn from it. Stay tuned with me as I discuss this topic in my article.
The respiratory system is a system that comprises organs that allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the human body. This involves the intake and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide that exist between the human body and the surroundings. The organs of this system include the following; bronchial tubes, lungs, nasal passages, trachea, and larynx.
Basically, the respiratory system performs two major functions and they are internal respiration and external respiration. Internal respiration is the situation of breathing in oxygen into the cells and removing carbon dioxide from the cell. On the other hand, external respiration is a situation where there is an exchange of air or oxygen between the human body and the surroundings.
Let's look at some general functions of the human respiratory system. They include the following;
The respiratory system helps in the regulation of blood pH. It also plays a vital role in filtering the air we breathe in. This system is also responsible for the supply of the human body with oxygen and also the removal of carbon dioxide from the body. This system is again responsible for the removal of excess heat and water from the human body. There are receptors that help this system detect smells. It is also responsible for the production of sounds.
Let's look at breathing and what it entails; breathing generally is defined as the process of taking in oxygen and bringing out carbon dioxide. There are two phases which include inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation involves the process where gases are drawn into the lungs and it is also termed inspiration. On the other hand, exhalation involves the process where gases are forced out of the lungs and it is termed expiration.
Let's briefly look at some specific organs that function. External respiration is made up of the nasal cavity, the nose, the pharynx, the paranasal sinuses, and the larynx. They all perform a specific function to aid in external respiration.
The Nose contains paranasal sinuses, and also cilia. This helps in warming of air and filtering out foreign substances respectively. The Pharynx which is also called the throat is responsible for the passage of food and air. The Larynx also called the voice box plays a vital role in producing sound and also preventing the entering of materials into the lower respiratory tract. The trachea is also called the windpipe. The lung which is also in two parts that are the left and right lungs helps in the intake of oxygen and brings carbon dioxide out of the body.
During breathing, there is contraction and expansion of a certain structure called the diaphragm. During the process of inhalation, there is the contraction of the diaphragm and this leads to the rise of the rib cage up. The volume of the chest cavity is expanded in that process. Atmospheric pressure is then filled in the lungs as air is rushed into the pathway of breathing.
On the other hand, during the process of exhalation, there is the relaxation of the diaphragm and this leads to the lowering of the rib cage. Here the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of the chest cavity's pressure leading to the rushing of air out of the lungs.
Respiration is really important in our day-to-day activities and any living thing that does not respire, I think that living is a dead living thing.
The references given below are sites where you can learn more about the human respiratory system.
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