Concious Breathing
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Humans breathe through the nose or mouth, taking air into the respiratory system. The air passes through the windpipe, also called the trachea, and enters the lungs through two main airways called bronchi. Inside the lungs, these airways divide into smaller tubes that end in tiny air sacs called alveoli.
🫁 How Do Humans Breathe?
Explore how air enters through the nose or mouth and travels to the lungs.
👤 Human Respiratory System
Choose an entry point and watch the air travel through a recognizable human head and chest.
🎮 Control the breathing
Select a breathing route and press Play breathing.
📚 How Breathing Works
Select a step to learn how air moves through the respiratory system.
During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward. This increases the space inside the chest, helping air enter the lungs.
The diaphragm relaxes and moves upward. Air leaves the lungs, carrying carbon dioxide out through the nose or mouth.
We breathe in oxygen-rich air and breathe out air containing more carbon dioxide. The animation is a simplified educational model.
In the alveoli, oxygen from the air passes into the blood through thin walls, while carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the air sacs. The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, supplying oxygen to the brain, muscles, and other organs. The body’s cells use oxygen to release energy from food.
Breathing is controlled automatically by the brain, which adjusts the breathing rate according to the body’s needs. When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, allowing the lungs to expand and fill with air. When we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, helping push air out of the lungs. This continuous process supplies oxygen and removes carbon dioxide, keeping the body functioning properly.
Lapses in human breathing refer to pauses, interruptions, or irregularities in the normal breathing pattern. These may occur naturally for a few seconds during sleep, but frequent or prolonged pauses can indicate a health problem. For example, sleep apnea causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep, while shallow or irregular breathing may occur due to illness, medication, or other conditions. If someone stops breathing, becomes unresponsive, or has severe difficulty breathing, seek emergency medical help immediately.
