Breathing is involuntary, unlike the beating of out heart, we do have some control over it. We can hold our breath, use it to shout, scream, sing, or whistle and breathe from the top of our lungs or from the abdomen.
Breathing itself is not as simple as it might appear. Every time you breathe in the diaphragm flattens and the muscles between the ribs shorten, pulling the rib cage up and out. As the space in the chest cavity expands, the lungs fill with air.
When the lungs are full the diaphragm and rib muscles relax and the rib cage contracts, expelling the air. The rate at which you breathe varies with how much oxygen you need, this information is monitored and controlled by the respiratory center of the brain, the medulla.
When you exercise, the body floods with carbon dioxide and needs more oxygen. The medulla signals the lungs to breathe deeper and faster, sometimes as much as 80 times a minute. When you are resting, and carbon dioxide levels return to normal, you take between 13 and 15 breaths a minute.
Exercise can trigger an asthma attack. But you have to find a balance between being protective and allowing your child to participate in normal, enjoyable activities.
The respiratory system takes in air from the atmosphere and transports it to the lungs. In the lungs, oxygen is absorbed into the blood stream and waste carbon dioxide is released to the exterior. The action of intercostals muscles and the diaphragm expand and contract the chest cavity, making the lungs move in and out.
Alveoli is a tiny sacs within the lungs where has exchange takes place between air and blood. Larynx contains the vocal cords for voice production. Trachea extends down from the larynx toward the lungs. Ribs move to expand and contract lungs when breathing in and out.
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