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What is the Function of the Respiratory System?

Dulce Corazon
Dulce Corazon

The main function of the respiratory system is the exchange of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs. Breathing, or respiration, allows this important function to take place. Air carrying oxygen enters the body during inhalation, and air carrying carbon dioxide is expelled out of the body through exhalation. Oxygen is a vital requirement of all cells in order to survive and perform their many functions. Carbon dioxide is mostly a waste product of processes inside the body and is not usually needed by cells.

All structures in the respiratory tract play necessary roles in the function of the system. The upper respiratory tract, which includes the nose, throat, voice box, and trachea or windpipe, are passageways for oxygen and carbon dioxide during the breathing process. In the lower respiratory tract, comprised of the lungs, bronchi, and alveolar sacs, the process of gas exchange takes place.

The human respiratory system.
The human respiratory system.

As oxygen reaches the trachea, it travels to the two main bronchi, which divide into the right lung and the left lung. Oxygen then proceeds to numerous bronchioles of each lung, and finally down to the millions of alveolar sacs. Smaller blood vessels, called capillaries, are present in the surfaces of the alveolar sacs. Blood carrying carbon dioxide travels to the lungs through the capillaries to exchange that gas for oxygen. Oxygen-carrying blood then goes to the heart to be delivered to other organs of the body.

The respiratory and abdominal organs.
The respiratory and abdominal organs.

The breathing process is governed by the actions of the central nervous system, the diaphragm, the lungs, and the circulatory system. There is a respiratory center in the brain that regulates the process. Muscles in the chest, like the diaphragm and those between the ribs, help in the expansion and collapse of the lungs during each breath. After the exchange of gases in the lungs, oxygenated blood usually enters the circulatory system to reach all parts of the body.

The diaphragm's main function is to control breathing.
The diaphragm's main function is to control breathing.

Any disturbance in the components that regulate the breathing process can affect the function of the respiratory system. Diseases of the respiratory tract can include infections like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and bronchitis. Narrowing of the airways often makes breathing difficult for many asthma patients. Harmful substances, like tobacco smoke and radon gas, can also reach the lungs if they are inhaled from the air. These substances can lead to the development of lung tumors and cancers, often causing deterioration of the respiratory system and other systems of the human body.

Discussion Comments

anon291290

What happens if you don't have any white blood cells in your body?

roxytalks

Thanks so much for this article -- I'm trying to put together a unit on the respiratory system for my fourth graders in the coming months, and this article was such a good overview for me, especially how the respiratory system is so tied into the function of the circulatory system. That will be so helpful for me to transition into the unit, since I'm working on the circulatory system right now.

Just one thing, could you give me a little bit more information about how diseases physically affect the respiratory system? I mean, I know that they can cause the airways to narrow, but that's just asthma, right? What about things like TB or pneumonia? Or even just the common cold, that impairs the function of the respiratory system too, right?

Thanks for the information!

write79

I never realized that the function of the circulatory system is so intertwined with the function of the respiratory system. Our blood really is an important part of breathing. Our bodies really are amazing.

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    • The human respiratory system.
      By: pixelcaos
      The human respiratory system.
    • The respiratory and abdominal organs.
      By: adimas
      The respiratory and abdominal organs.
    • The diaphragm's main function is to control breathing.
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      The diaphragm's main function is to control breathing.
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      The nervous system is a crucial part of the respiratory system.
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      The respiratory system is made up of the mouth, throat, nose, sinuses, bronchial tubes, and lungs.