Respiratory

Introduction to respiratory anatomy

The respiratory system starts at the nose and mouth and continues through the other airway to the lungs, where oxygen from the air is exchanged with carbon dioxide from the body's tissues. The lungs are the two largest organ of the respiratory system; its shape is like two big sponges that take up most of the chest cavity. The left lung is slightly smaller than the right because it shares space with the heart on the left side of the chest. Each lung is divided into sections (lobes). The right lung comprises three lobes and the left by two.

Air enters the respiratory system through the nose and mouth and reaches the throat (pharynx) to reach the box that produces the voice (larynx). The laryngeal inlet is covered by a small piece of muscle tissue (epiglottis) that closes upon swallowing, thus preventing food from entering the airway.

The trachea is the largest of the airways; It begins in the larynx and ends branching into two smaller caliber airways (bronchi) that lead to the lungs. The bronchi divide successively in many airway increasingly smaller (bronchioles), being the finest terminal branches. This part of the respiratory tract is known as the bronchial tree, by the look of tree upside down.

Breathing function

The main function of the respiratory system is to drive oxygen into the lungs, transfer it to the blood and expel waste substances in the form of carbon dioxide. Inspired Oxygen enters the lungs and reaches the alveoli. Oxygen easily passes the blood through the capillaries of the alveolar walls, while the carbon dioxide passes from the blood into the alveoli, being exhaled through the nostrils and mouth.

Exercise and respiratory system

Benefits of exercise on respiratory function

- Increased cardiorespiratory fitness, which optimizes the general functioning of the organism and its performance against specific demands.

- Prevention and reduction of respiratory disorders.