Breathing is the process that moves air in and out of the lungs. Aerobic Cellular respiration, also known as 'oxidative metabolism', is one of the key ways a cell gains useful energy. It is the set of the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in organisms' cells to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products. The reactions involved in respiration organisms In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole. An organism may either be unicellular (single-celled) or be composed of, as in humans, many trillions of cells grouped into require oxygen to release energy via respiration Cellular respiration, also known as 'oxidative metabolism', is one of the key ways a cell gains useful energy. It is the set of the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in organisms' cells to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products. The reactions involved in respiration, in the form of the metabolism Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter, for example to harvest energy in cellular of energy-rich molecules A molecule is defined as an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by very strong chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from polyatomic ions in this strict sense. In organic chemistry and biochemistry, the term molecule is used less strictly and also is applied to charged organic molecules such as glucose Glucose , a simple sugar (monosaccharide), is an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as a source of energy and a metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration. Starch and cellulose are polymers derived from the dehydration of glucose. The name "glucose" comes.
Breathing is only one process that delivers oxygen Oxygen (pronounced /ˈɒksɨdʒɨn/, OK-si-jin, from the Greek roots ὀξύς (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter), is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. It is a member of the chalcogen group on the periodic table, and is a highly to where it is needed in the body and removes carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state. CO2 is a trace gas comprising 0.039% of the atmosphere. Another important process involves the movement of blood by the circulatory system. Gas exchange Gas exchange takes place at a respiratory surface—a boundary between the external environment and the interior of the organism. For unicellular organisms the respiratory surface is governed by Fick's law, which determines that respiratory surfaces must have: occurs in the pulmonary alveoli An alveolus is an anatomical structure that has the form of a hollow cavity. Found in the lung, the pulmonary alveoli are spherical outcroppings of the respiratory sites of gas exchange with the blood. Alveoli are particular to mammalian lungs. Different structures are involved in gas exchange in other vertebrates. The alveolar membrane is the gas- by passive diffusion Passive transport means moving biochemicals and atomic or molecular substances across the cell membrane. Unlike active transport, this process does not involve chemical energy. The four main kinds of passive transport are diffusion, facilitated diffusion, filtration and osmosis of gases between the alveolar gas and the blood in lung The lung is the essential respiration organ in all air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located in the chest on either side of the heart. Their principal function is to transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and to release capillaries Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels and are part of the microcirculation. They are only 1 cell thick. These microvessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, connect arterioles and venules, and enable the exchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances between blood and surrounding. Once these dissolved gases are in the blood Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells – such as nutrients and oxygen – and transports waste products away from those same cells, the heart The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. The term cardiac (as in cardiology) means "related to the heart" and comes from the Greek καρδιά, kardia, for "heart" powers their flow around the body (via the circulatory system The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, etc. to and from cells in the body to help fight diseases and help stabilize body temperature and pH to maintain homeostasis). The medical term for normal relaxed breathing is euphea.
In addition to removing carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state. CO2 is a trace gas comprising 0.039% of the atmosphere, breathing results in loss of water Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. Its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state, water vapor or steam from the body. Exhaled air has a relative humidity The relative humidity of an air-water mixture is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor (ew) in the mixture to the saturated vapor pressure of water at a prescribed temperature of 100% because of water diffusing across the moist surface of breathing passages and alveoli.
Contents |
Mechanics
In mammals Mammals are a class of vertebrate, air-breathing animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by hair and/or fur, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain. Some mammals have sweat glands, but most do not, breathing in, or inhaling, is usually an active movement, with the contraction of the diaphragm In the anatomy of mammals, the thoracic diaphragm or sometime simply, the diaphragm, is a sheet of internal muscle that extends across the bottom of the rib cage. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in respiration. A diaphragm in anatomy can refer to other flat structures such as muscle. This is known as negative pressure breathing. Normally, the diaphragm's relaxed position recoils (decreasing the thoracic volume) whereas in the contracted position it is pulled downwards (increasing the thoracic volume). This process works in conjunction with the intercostal muscles connected to the rib cage. Contraction of these muscles lifts the rib cage, thus aiding in increasing the thoracic volume. Relaxation of the diaphragm compresses the lungs, effectively decreasing their volume while increasing the pressure inside them. The intercostal muscles simultaneously relax, further decreasing the volume of the lungs. With a pathway to the mouth The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and saliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth or nose clear, this increased pressure forces air out of the lungs. Conversely, contraction of the diaphragm increases the volume of the (partially empty) lungs, decreasing the pressure inside, which creates a partial vacuum. Environmental air then follows its pressure gradient down to fill the lungs.
In amphibians Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians, are ectothermic (or cold-blooded) animals that metamorphose from a juvenile water-breathing form, either to an adult air-breathing form, or to a paedomorph that retains some juvenile characteristics. Proteidae (mudpuppies and waterdogs) are good examples of paedomorphic species, the process used is positive pressure breathing. Muscles lower the floor of the oral cavity, enlarging it and drawing in air through the nostrils (which uses the same mechanics - pressure, volume, and diffusion - as a mammalian lung). With the nostrils and mouth closed, the floor of the oral cavity is forced up, which forces air down the trachea into the lungs.
At rest, breathing out, or exhaling, is a combination of passive and active processes powered by the elastic recoil of the alveoli An alveolus is an anatomical structure that has the form of a hollow cavity. Found in the lung, the pulmonary alveoli are spherical outcroppings of the respiratory sites of gas exchange with the blood. Alveoli are particular to mammalian lungs. Different structures are involved in gas exchange in other vertebrates. The alveolar membrane is the gas-, similar to a deflating balloon, and the contraction of the muscular body wall. The following organs are used in respiration: the mouth The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and saliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth; the nose Physically a nose is an organ on the face. Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration in conjunction with the mouth. Behind the nose is the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes through the pharynx, shared with the and nostrils A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation. Fish do not breathe through their noses, but they do have two small holes; the pharynx The pharynx is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to (behind) the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea; the larynx The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protecting the trachea and sound production. It manipulates pitch and volume. The larynx houses the vocal folds, which are an essential component of phonation. The vocal folds are situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and; the trachea The trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects to the pharynx or larynx, allowing the passage of air to the lungs. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with mucosal goblet cells which produce mucus. This mucus lines the cells of the trachea to trap inhaled foreign particles which the cilia then waft upwards; the bronchi A bronchus is a passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. No gas exchange takes place in this part of the lungs and bronchioles The bronchioles or bronchioli are the first airway branches that no longer contain cartilage. They are branches of the bronchi. The bronchioles terminate by entering the circular sacs called alveoli; the lungs The lung is the essential respiration organ in all air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located in the chest on either side of the heart. Their principal function is to transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and to release; the diaphragm In the anatomy of mammals, the thoracic diaphragm or sometime simply, the diaphragm, is a sheet of internal muscle that extends across the bottom of the rib cage. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in respiration. A diaphragm in anatomy can refer to other flat structures such as; and the terminal branches of the respiratory tree, such as the alveoli An alveolus is an anatomical structure that has the form of a hollow cavity. Found in the lung, the pulmonary alveoli are spherical outcroppings of the respiratory sites of gas exchange with the blood. Alveoli are particular to mammalian lungs. Different structures are involved in gas exchange in other vertebrates. The alveolar membrane is the gas-.
Control of breathing
Main article: Control of respiration Control of ventilation refers to the physiological mechanisms involved in the control of physiologic ventilation. Gas exchange primarily controls the rate of respirationBreathing is one of the few bodily functions which, within limits, can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously.
Conscious control
Conscious control of breathing is common in many forms of meditation, specifically forms of yoga Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Within Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal towards which that school directs its practices. In Jainism, yoga is for example pranayama Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning "restraint of the prana or breath" or more accurately, "control of force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "āyāma", to suspend or restrain. It is often translated as control of the life force (prana) unlike anapana Ānāpānasati , meaning 'mindfulness of breathing' ("sati" means mindfulness; "ānāpāna" refers to inhalation and exhalation), is a fundamental form of meditation originally taught by the Buddha. According to this teaching, classically presented in the Ānāpānasati Sutta, practicing this form of meditation as a part of the which is only awareness of breath. In swimming Swimming is movement through water, usually without artificial assistance. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational. Its primary uses are bathing, cooling, fishing, recreation, exercise, and sport, cardio Categories: Medical terms | Sports terminology | Exercise | Greek loanwords fitness Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations). Physical fitness is generally achieved through exercise, correct nutrition and enough rest, speech Speech is the vocalized form of human communication. It is based upon the syntactic combination of lexicals and names that are drawn from very large vocabularies. Each spoken word is created out of the phonetic combination of a limited set of vowel and consonant speech sound units. These vocabularies, the syntax which structures them, and their or vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary sound source. Generally speaking, the mechanism for generating the human voice can be subdivided into three training, one learns to discipline one's breathing, initially consciously Consciousness is variously defined as subjective experience, awareness, the ability to experience "feeling", wakefulness, or the executive control system of the mind. It is an umbrella term that may refer to a variety of mental phenomena. Although humans realize what everyday experiences are, consciousness refuses to be defined, but later sub-consciously, for purposes other than life support. Human speech is also dependent on conscious breath control. Also breathing control is used in Buteyko method.
Unconscious control
Unconsciously, breathing is controlled by specialized centers in the brainstem In vertebrate anatomy the brainstem is the posterior part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord. The brain stem provides the main motor and sensory innervation to the face and neck via the cranial nerves. Though small, this is an extremely important part of the brain as the nerve connections of the motor and, which automatically regulate the rate and depth of breathing depending on the body’s needs at any time. When carbon dioxide levels increase in the blood, it reacts with the water in blood, producing carbonic acid Carbonic acid is the inorganic compound with the formula H2CO3 (equivalently OC2). It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water, which contain small amounts of H2CO3. The salts of carbonic acids are called bicarbonates (or hydrogen carbonates) and carbonates. It is a weak acid. Carbonic acid is sometimes confused with. Lactic acid Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemical processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3. It has a hydroxyl group adjacent to the carboxyl group, making it an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). In produced by anaerobic exercise Anaerobic exercise is exercise intense enough to trigger anaerobic metabolism. It is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Muscles trained using anaerobic exercise develop differently compared to aerobic exercise, leading to greater performance in short duration, also lowers pH In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. It approximates but is not equal to p[H], the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of dissolved hydronium ions (H3O+); a low pH indicates a high concentration of hydronium ions, while a high pH indicates a low concentration. Crudely, this negative of the logarithm. The drop in the blood's pH stimulates chemoreceptors in the carotid and aortic bodies in the blood system to send nerve impulses to the respiration centre in the medulla oblongata and pons in the brain. These, in turn send nerve impulses through the phrenic and thoracic nerves to the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles, increasing the rate of breathing. Even a slight difference in the blood's normal pH, 7.4, could cause death, so this is an important process.[citation needed]
This automatic control of respiration can be impaired in premature babies, or by drugs or disease.
Examples
For instance, while exercising, the level of carbon dioxide in the blood increases due to increased cellular respiration by the muscles, which activates carotid and aortic bodies and the respiration center, which ultimately cause a higher rate of respiration.
During rest, the level of carbon dioxide is lower, so breathing rate is lower. This ensures an appropriate amount of oxygen is delivered to the muscles and other organs. It is important to reiterate that it is the buildup of carbon dioxide making the blood acidic that elicits the desperation for a breath much more than lack of oxygen.
Interaction
It is not possible for a healthy person to voluntarily stop breathing indefinitely. If we do not inhale, the level of carbon dioxide builds up in our blood, and we experience overwhelming air hunger. This irrepressible reflex is not surprising given that without breathing, the body's internal oxygen levels drop dangerously low within minutes, leading to permanent brain damage followed eventually by death. However, there have been instances where people have survived for as long as two hours without air; this is only possible when submerged in cold water, as this triggers the mammalian diving reflex [1] as well as putting the subject into a state of suspended animation.
If a healthy person were to voluntarily stop breathing (i.e. hold his or her breath) for a long enough amount of time, he or she would lose consciousness, and the body would resume breathing on its own. Because of this one cannot commit suicide with this method, unless one's breathing was also restricted by something else (e.g. water, see drowning)
Hyperventilating causes a drop in CO2 below normal levels, lowering blood and oxygen supply to vital organs due to CO2-induced vasoconstriction and suppressed Bohr effect. Voluntary hyperventilation can cause tissue oxygen levels to go to dangerously low levels leading to, for example, fainting due to brain hypoxia.
Breathing in the sick
Medical respiratory data (see the table below) suggest that sick people breathe about 2-3 times more air at rest than the medical norm.
| Condition | Minute ventilation (± standard deviation) | Number of patients | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal breathing | 6 l/min | None | Medical textbooks: [2] [3] [4] [5] |
| Asthma | 12 l/min | 101 | [6] |
| Asthma | 15 l/min | 8 | [7] |
| Asthma | 14.1 (±5.7) l/min | 39 | [8] |
| Heart disease | 14 (±4) l/min | 88 | [9] |
| Heart disease | 12.2 (±3.3) l/min | 132 | [10] |
| Heart disease | 16 (±2) l/min | 11 | [11] |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) l/min | 22 | [12] |
| Diabetes | 10-20 l/min | 28 | [13] |
| Diabetes | 12-17 l/min | 26 | [14] |
| Cystic fibrosis | 11-14 l/min | 6 | [15] |
| Cystic fibrosis | 13 (±1.8) l/min | 10 | [16] |
| COPD | 12.2 (±1.9) l/min | 10 | [17] |
| Liver cirrhosis | 11-18 l/min | 24 | [18] |
| Hyperthyroidism | 14.9 (±0.6) l/min | 42 | [19] |
| Epilepsy | 12.8 l/min | 12 | [20] |
(Source: www.normalbreathing.com) There are many more medical studies that found 100% prevalence of chronic hyperventilation in patients with various chronic diseases.
Breathing in gas
|
Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:31:11 GMT+00:00
Doc's Sports Service The competitive eating giant made all Americans proud by inhaling 54 hotdogs on the Fourth of July to win his fourth consecutive Nathan's Famous Fourth of ...
unknown
ue, 31 Aug 2010 23:42:07 GM
Inhaling. , passing doobie to the left. August 31, 2010 9:15 PM. Posted by: Robert. And thats a slow boring week. August 31, 2010 9:15 PM. Posted by: Anonymous. @9:13 you were envious! I taught her the word imbecile. LOL ...
Q. For example, when Scuba Divers dive, they use tanks that contain a gas mixture much like air. If they used tanks that contained pure oxygen, they could suffer light headedness. Explain why inhaling pure oxygen gas might cause light headedness (2 marks).
Asked by Aaron G - Wed Jan 20 10:33:06 2010 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Actually...divers use an atmospheric mix for a simple reason...and it has nothing to do with lightheadedness... Oxygen is LETHAL at high concentrations at different partial pressures. If a diver were to dive to much over 120 feet on a standard atmospheric mix, they would be risking Oxygen Toxicity. Deep dives have to use a special mix that includes helium to prevent the O2 we need from killing us. Besides, if we breathed 100% oxygen on a dive, we'd loose the reflex to exhale. Carbon Dioxide in the air helps trigger the body's breathing reflex. In a 100% oxygen atmosphere, a human would have to conciously force him/herself to exhale and inhale until the CO2 levels in the blood started reaching near lethal levels. By the way...if you're… [cont.]
Answered by jcurrieii - Wed Jan 20 11:58:42 2010
