Only 21% of the Air You Breathe Is Oxygen! Let Us Introduce You to Your Respiratory System.

Your Lungs Are the Biggest Waste-Removal Engine in the Body Accounts for 70% of Body Waste in the Form of Carbon Dioxide

The respiratory system is a network of organs that work to together to allow you to breathe properly. Airways, lungs, and blood vessels are simultaneously working alongside each other to help your body absorb oxygen.

Nasal Cavity
Nostril
Soft Palate
Hard Palate
Oral Cavity
Larynx
Trachea
Carina of Trachea
Right Main Bronchus
Right Lung

Pharyngeal Tonsil
Nasopharynx
Oropharynx
Tongue
Epiglottis
Esophagus
Left Main Bronchus
Left Lung
Diaphragm

Breathing starts when you inhale air into your nose or mouth.

It travels down the back of your throat and into your windpipe, which is divided into air passages called bronchial tubes.

As the bronchial tubes pass through your lungs, they divide into smaller air passages called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in tiny balloon-like air sacs called alveoli. Your body has about 600 million alveoli.

The alveoli are surrounded by a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Here, oxygen from inhaled air passes into your blood. After absorbing oxygen, blood goes to your heart. Your heart then pumps it through your body to the cells of your tissues and organs.

As the cells use the oxygen, they make carbon dioxide, which goes into your blood. Your blood then carries the carbon dioxide back to your lungs, where it’s removed from your body when you exhale.

Ethmoid Sinuses
Pharynx
Lung
Bronchus
Bronchioles
Nose
Tongue
Trachea
Alveoli

Oxygen
Carbon Dioxide
Alveolar Wall
Red Blood Cells
Oxygen In
Carbon Dioxide Out
Capillary
Air

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Without Clean Air Your Body Can’t Properly Function!

The cells in the body use oxygen to transfer energy stored in food to a usable form. This process, called cellular respiration, allows the cells to harness energy to perform vital functions, such as powering muscles and the movement of materials into and out of cells. Without oxygen in the body, cells can function for a limited period; long-term oxygen depletion leads to cell death and eventually death of the organism.

Cells Use Oxygen to Assist in Cellular Respiration

Red blood cells are the primary transporters of oxygen. These cells receive oxygen as air is breathed in through the lungs. Oxygen binds itself to these cells, which then carry it to the heart. The heart circulates the oxygenated blood to cells throughout the body in the process of cellular respiration.

TEMPORARY DEPRIVATION

When exercising, the body may deplete oxygen faster than it can be taken to the cells. This causes a temporary oxygen deprivation. Muscle cells can perform anaerobic (airless) respiration for a limited amount of time when this happens. Anaerobic respiration generates lactic acid, which builds up in the muscles, causing cramping and fatigue.

DEPRIVATION AND DEATH

If cells are deprived of oxygen for a long period, the organism cannot survive. Electrons build up in the electron transport system, halting the production of ATP. Without ATP, cells cannot perform vital functions, such as keeping the heart beating and the lungs moving in and out. The organism will soon lose consciousness and will die if oxygen is not quickly restored.

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Oxygen helps to counter pathogens and control highly reactive free radicals.

Pollutants and toxins can coat the respiratory tract and slow down the exchange of gasses.

Our lungs exhale almost half a liter (0.42 L) of water every single day. Factor this number into your hydration requirements.

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Avoid smoke and harmful chemicals (indoor and outdoor chemicals) from entering your lungs.

Exercise regularly—exercising helps strengthen your respiratory muscles, increases the amount of oxygen that enters your body, and increases the rate of gas exchange in your body.

Get proper nutrition, including a healthy balanced diet to make it easier for your lungs to properly function and get the appropriate oxygen to your other body systems.

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