Presents:
The
Respiratory
System
The respiratory system is what we use to breathe. It may seem simple to
breathe, but it’s actually a pretty fancy process.
Unless you think about breathing, you breathe automatically – about
17,000 times a day! Breathing brings oxygen into your lungs and your body.
Your body needs energy to function and your cells need oxygen to pull
energy out of the food you eat. This process produces carbon dioxide –
and your lungs let it go when you breathe out – all in about a second!
One of the only ways you can hurt your lungs is by breathing in things that
damage them – like smoke or sprayed chemicals.
PLEASE DON’T INHALE ANYTHING THAT COULD DAMAGE YOUR LUNGS!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Here’s one part of the body
you might not think about using
to breathe: Your BRAIN!
The brain is the control centre for every
part of your body – including your
breathing. Your “respiratory center” or
medulla oblongata is located at the back
of your brain.
The brain and the lungs are connected by
nerves. Impulses, like cars on a highway,
travel along the nerves back and forth
from your brain and lungs, causing your
chest muscles and diaphragm to move so
you can breathe.
THAT’S WHY YOU CAN HOLD YOUR BREATH, BUT YOU HAVE TO BREATHE EVENTUALLY!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Do you know what your nose
knows? You’ll know it now!
The sinuses are hollow spaces in the
bones of your head that are connected
to your nostrils. They can help you out by
warming the air you inhale through your
nose. They also help by lightening the
bone structure in your face and acting as
a vibrating place for your voice.
THAT’S WHY SNORING IS LOUD - YOU BREATHE THROUGH YOUR SINUSES AT NIGHT.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Swallow hard, but you might
hurt your pharynx. Just kidding.
When you breathe, air goes through your
mouth or nose into your throat. The
medical term for your throat is the
pharynx. It runs from the back of your
nose to your windpipe. Both air and food
go down but at different times – it’s
used for two things!
So you need a flap or a lid. This piece of
cartilage is your epiglottis. It covers your
glottis or opening to your voice box. Your
epiglottis stops food from going down the
windpipe into your lungs.
IF YOU EAT TOO FAST AND “INHALE YOUR FOOD”, IT’S BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T CLOSE YOUR EPIGLOTTIS!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
The Larynx, usually called
the voice box, is just above
your windpipe and below
your epiglottis. It contains
the vocal cords that
vibrate so you can talk,
make silly sounds, and sing.
IF YOUR LARYNX MOVES AT A HIGH SPEED, YOU HEAR HIGH SOUNDS,
AND LOW SPEEDS OF MOVEMENT MAKE LOW SOUNDS.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
The esophagus is located
right beneath your pharynx,
or throat. Simply, it’s your
food tube – and water goes
here, too. In an adult it’s
about 28 centimetres long.
When you swallow your
epiglottis closes off the
windpipe and your food goes
down the esophagus. This is
actually part of the food
and digestive system, and
not your breathing system,
but it sure is close by!
WHEN YOU CHOKE AND CAN STILL BREATHE, YOUR FOOD MIGHT BE CAUGHT IN YOUR ESOPHAGUS.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Your trachea or windpipe
transports air to your lungs.
It’s generally about 10
centimetres long and kept
open by C-shaped rings of
cartilage.
YOU BREATHE OUT THROUGH THE TRACHEA, TOO.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Your ribs are the wall
protecting the lungs from
the outside world. There
are 12 pairs of ribs in your
chest cavity, The upper 7
pairs are stuck to the
breastbone, or sternum.
And all of them are
connected to your spinal
column. Another body part
that protects the lungs is
the pleura, a double
membrane that keeps them
inside the chest cavity.
YOUR RIBS ARE SOME OF THE BONES IN YOUR BODY THAT YOU CAN FEEL FROM THE OUTSIDE – TRY IT!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Your diaphragm is the
muscle that goes across the
body and separates the
lungs from the other organs
in your belly. It is connected
to your ribs, sternum, and
spine. When relaxed, your
diaphragm forms an arch in
the chest cavity and your
lungs empty. To begin a new
breath your brain then tells
it to flatten causing air to
enter the lungs.
Voila, a breath!
TAKE A REAL DEEP BREATH AND PUT YOUR HAND ON YOUR BELLY BUTTON – THAT’S THE DIAPHRAGM!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Each of
Both
lung
your
is divided
Lungs can
into
easily inflate with air
LOBES.
because they are elastic,
Lungs vary with body size, but
flexible sacks. They consist
on average they hold 5-6 litres
of air tubes, tiny balloons,
of air. That’s not a lot of air to
and blood vessels. These all
use for oxygen and talking –
work together to move
especially for some of us!
oxygen into your blood
stream and remove carbon
dioxide. The lungs are
situated on either side of
the heart.
WHEN YOU TAKE A DEEP DREATH, YOUR LUNGS EXPAND – AND WHEN YOU LET IT OUT, THEY CONTRACT.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
CAPILLARIES
In Alveoli
order for
arethe
thetrachea
tiny sacsto
enter
inside
thethe
right
lung
and
where
left lung
it must
oxygen
split
andinto
carbon
two tubes.
dioxide
A single
are transferred.
tube is called
There
a are
bronchus
millionsand
of them
as a pair
in each
they
arelung.
called
Oxygen
bronchi.
moves
Each
through
bronchus
the walls
splits
of the
intoalveolus
two
smaller
and attaches
bronchioles.
to red
These
blood
tubes
cellskeep
in the
splitting
capillaries.
into two
smaller
Carbon
tubes
dioxide
over moves
and over
in
again.
the opposite direction and
is breathed out.
BRONCHIAL CILIA ARE SIMILAR TO THE CILIA IN YOUR EARS THAT HELP YOU HEAR.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
Your nose, windpipe, and airways
are lined with microscopic hairs
called cilia. Lying on top of the
cilia is a gooey layer of mucus.
Dirt in the air sticks to the
mucus and the cilia push it up,
similar to an escalator, to your
mouth or nose where it can be
swallowed or removed.
CILIA ARE HAIR – EXCEPT INSIDE YOUR BODY!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©
1. Brain
2. Sinuses
Oral Cavity
14. Pharynx
Mouth and Tongue0
13. Epiglottis
3. Glottis
12. Esophagus
4 Larynx/Voice Box
11. Lungs
5. Trachea/ Windpipe
10. Pleural Membrane
6. Ribs
(not shown here)
7. Bronchi
9. Diaphragm
Bronchiole
8. Alveoli
Capillaries
Cilia
Mucus
Cells
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan ©