Essay On The Respiratory System

It usually goes unnoticed by the average human, but you take a breath twelve to sixteen times per minute, every single day. This is made possible by the respiratory system. The respiratory system is the group of organs in the body that enable a person to breathe; this system, like the other systems, is vital for survival. The respiratory system’s main function is gas exchange, which in turn maintains normal blood pH, maintains body temperature, and keeps cells alive to sustain the body. The respiratory system provides a person’s sense of smell, and a person’s voice and sounds they can make are possible due to this system. Respiration begins and ends at the nose or mouth where oxygen is inhaled and carbon dioxide is exhaled. The respiratory

The anatomy of the respiratory system makes up the respiratory tract and can be divided into three major parts: the airway, which includes the nose, mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles; the lungs; and the muscles of respiration (Taylor). The respiratory tract can be divided into two sections which are the upper tract and the lower tract.
The upper tract starts at the nose and naval cavity or mouth and ends at the pharynx; the lower tract begins at the larynx and ends at the alveoli. The first section of the airway is the main opening of the respiratory system: the nose and naval cavity. The nose is on the outside of the body and is made of cartilage, bone, muscle and skin. It covers the front of the nasal cavity which is a space within the nose and skull. The nasal cavity’s purpose is to filter, moisturize, and warm air before it enters the lungs; to do this it is “lined with hairs and mucus membrane” (Taylor). The secondary opening is called the mouth. After air moves through

Bronchioles split into the smallest branch called terminal bronchioles. According to an article published by Healthline Medical Team, this system of branching bronchi and bronchioles is referred to as the “bronchial tree” because when looked at upside down, the group looks like a tree branching off in different directions (“Bronchial Tree”). The tree-like pattern allows air to flow to all parts of the lungs. At the ends of the terminal bronchioles are air sacs called alveoli where oxygen exchange takes place. The alveoli fill up every time we take a breath. A baby’s first breath is so difficult because these alveoli are being filled up from a collapsed state. All of these branching pieces can be found inside of a set of “large, spongey organs” called the lungs (Taylor); although they are not huge, the surface area of a pair of lungs can cover a tennis court. Each lung has different lobes: the right lung has three, but the left lung only has two to save room for the heart. Both lungs are enclosed in pleural cavities which are bordered by thin, protective tissue called pleura. The last part of the respiratory system is the muscles of respiration. Without