What Are the Steps Involved in Inhalation and Exhalation?
Breathing is a complex process that happens several times within just a minute. Although involuntary, breathing is vital for a person to live. Inhaling and exhaling is essentially changing the air pressure inside the body to take in and remove air.
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Breathe in
When a person inhales, the diaphragm and the muscles between the ribs contract and expand the chest cavity. When the chest cavity expands, the pressure in the chest is lowered to a level below that of the air pressure outside. When this happens, air flows in through the airways from a high pressure to low pressure and inflates the lungs.
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Breathe out
When a person exhales, the diaphragm and muscles between the ribs relax and make the chest cavity smaller. The decrease in the volume of the chest cavity increases the pressure to a level that is higher than the air pressure outside. The air from the lungs then flows out of the airways to the outside air.
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Take another breath
The cycle of changing the air pressure in a person’s body repeats with each breath he takes. Breathing is essential for life, and the air that is breathed in regulates several processes within a person’s body.
