Breathing In and Breathing Out …

The bio-mechanical process of exchange of gases between an individual and his atmosphere is called as breathing.

 It is during breathing that an individual’s body utilizes oxygen of the atmosphere for the production of energy inside its cells by the oxidation of organic substances derived from food.

The carbon dioxide produced in this process is returned back which is thrown out along with remaining gases, into the atmosphere.

Bodies of developed individuals contain systems of organs called as respiratory system which performs the function of breathing.

The respiratory system  is made up of a respiratory tube which bifurcates inside the chest and the two branches bear two separate lungs at their ends. The branches of the respiratory tube are called bronchi which terminate into bronchioles.

Each bronchiole is like a balloon containing linings of blood capillaries in their alveoli. The oxygen which enters into lungs when we breathe in gets diffused in the blood and the carbon dioxide of the blood comes out inside the lung. When lungs constrict the gases contained in it pass through bronchi, the respiratory tube and goes out into the atmosphere.

The whole process of breathing and exchange of gases in cells and tissues is called as respiration which is a bio-chemical process.

Diaphragms located below the lungs help in their  swelling and constriction.

The oxygen in the blood is taken away by hemoglobin which is a compound of iron. The carbon dioxide produced during oxidation of substances in cells is also carried to the lungs by hemoglobin itself.

Thus, Respiration is the process of production of energy and the site of cellular respiration is mitochondria, the cell organelles found in each cell. When we work hard like running, jumping or climbing the stairs, we need more energy and more oxygen is required for it. This is the reason why we breathe fast during hard work. Since energy is the most essential process of body breathing properly is important.

Experts prescribe yogasanas for deep breathing to receive maximum oxygen and to produce maximum energy in our body cells to revitalize our body organs. We can see it in the feature image.

Smaller animals like earthworms do not contain well developed respiratory system. They breathe through their moist skin through which exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. This process of exchange of gases is called as diffusion.

In a cellular organisms like amoeba, exchange of gases takes place simply through the cell membrane by the process of diffusion.

Glucose is the principal compound which is burnt inside cells to give off energy. When we play for a long time and get exhausted we drink glucose or lime water to get instant energy.

Feature Image: timesofindia.com