home Diseases Facts about animal respiration. Interesting facts about the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory system. How long do we breathe

Facts about animal respiration. Interesting facts about the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory system. How long do we breathe

Breathing is the basis of our life and an unconditioned reflex. Therefore, we are used to not thinking about how we do it. And in vain - many of us do not breathe quite correctly.

Do we always breathe through both nostrils?

Few people know that a person most often breathes only through one nostril - this occurs due to changing nasal cycles. One of the nostrils is the main one, and the other is an additional one, and either the right or the left plays the role of the leading one. The leading nostril changes every 4 hours, and during the nasal cycle, the blood vessels contract in the leading nostril and expand in the secondary nostril, increasing or decreasing the lumen through which air passes into the nasopharynx.

How to breathe correctly

Most people breathe incorrectly. In order to teach your body to breathe most optimally, you need to remember how we all breathed in childhood - when breathing through our nose, the upper part of our abdomen gradually lowered and rose, and the chest remained motionless. Diaphragmatic breathing is the most optimal and natural for a person, but gradually, as they grow older, people spoil their posture, which affects the correctness of breathing, and the muscles of the diaphragm begin to move incorrectly, squeezing and limiting the lungs. Some people, under heavy loads, begin to breathe through their mouths - which is extremely harmful, since in this case the air entering the body is not filtered by the nasopharynx. In order to learn to breathe not from the chest, but from the stomach, you can try a simple exercise: sit or stand as straight as possible, put your hand on your stomach and breathe, controlling its movement. In this case, you can place your second hand on the chest and observe whether it moves. Breathing should be deep and carried out only through the nose.

Today we know about a modern disease - computer apnea, which occurs due to improper breathing. Scientists estimate that up to 80% of people who use computers may suffer from it. While working at a computer, a person may involuntarily hold his breath, concentrating on details that are important to him. At the same time, some people feel a little dizzy - these are the first signs of apnea. Restricted breathing during concentrated work causes an accelerated heart rate, dilated pupils and can lead to obesity and even diabetes. Doctors recommend monitoring your breathing while working at the computer.

How long can you not breathe?

It is generally accepted that a person can do without air for 5 to 7 minutes - then irreversible changes occur in brain cells without oxygen supply, leading to death. However, today the world record for holding one's breath under water - static apnea - is 22 minutes 30 seconds, set by Goran Colak. There are only four people in the world who can hold their breath for longer than 20 minutes, and all of them are former record holders. This discipline is fraught with mortal danger, and in order to hold the air for more than 5 minutes, athletes require years of training. To combat the urge to inhale air, they try to increase their lung capacity by 20%. This sport requires maximum dedication: record holders train in stationary and dynamic breath-holding twice a week, and follow a special diet high in vegetables, fruits and fish oil. It is also necessary to train in pressure chambers so that the body gets used to existing without a sufficient amount of oxygen - oxygen starvation, similar to what climbers experience in rarefied air at high altitudes.

It is highly recommended that untrained people try to hold their breath for a long time or fall into conditions of oxygen starvation. The fact is that the body requires approximately 250 milliliters of oxygen per minute at rest, and during physical activity this figure increases 10 times. Without the transfer of oxygen from air to blood, which occurs in our lungs with the help of alveoli in contact with blood capillaries, the brain will cease to function normally within five minutes due to the death of nerve cells. The problem is that when you hold your breath, the oxygen that turns into CO2 has nowhere to go. The gas begins to circulate through the veins, informing the brain about the need to inhale, and for the body this is accompanied by a burning sensation in the lungs and spasms of the diaphragm.

Why do people snore?

Each of us has encountered a situation when another person prevented us from falling asleep with his snoring. Sometimes snoring can reach a volume of 112 decibels, which is louder than the sound of a running tractor or even an airplane engine. However, snorers are awakened by a loud sound. Why is this happening? When people sleep, their muscles automatically relax. The same often happens with the uvula and soft palate, as a result of which the passage of inhaled air is partially blocked. As a result, vibration of the soft tissues of the palate occurs, accompanied by a loud sound. Snoring can also occur due to swelling of the laryngeal muscles, leading to a narrowing of the larynx and air passage. Snoring can occur due to structural features of the nasal septum, for example, curvature, as well as due to diseases of the nasopharynx - enlarged tonsils, polyps and colds or allergies. All these phenomena one way or another lead to a narrowing of the lumen used for air intake. Also at risk are overweight people and smokers.

Diseases and bad habits can cause not only snoring that is unpleasant for others, but also serious illnesses. The detrimental effects of snoring on the brain have recently been discovered: Scientists have found that because snoring causes less oxygen to reach the brain, snorers have less gray matter, which can lead to decreased mental performance.

Snoring can lead to fatal diseases such as sleep apnea, or sleep apnea. A snorer can have up to 500 pauses in breathing per night, meaning they won't be breathing for a total of about four hours, but they won't be able to remember it. Apnea causes a lack of oxygen in the blood, and people suffering from it constantly do not get enough sleep and feel tired. During moments of holding their breath, sleepers fidget restlessly in their sleep, but do not wake up. Breathing resumes with loud snoring. Gradually, a lack of oxygen will lead to heart rhythm disturbances and excessive stress on the brain, which can cause strokes and heart attacks. Because of all these dangers of snoring, people have long tried to fight it: there are even special machines that record the volume of the environment and wake a person if he snores.

Why do we sneeze with our eyes closed?

Interestingly, many people do not notice that when they sneeze, their eyes automatically close. Scientists recently conducted a study that explains why you shouldn't sneeze with your eyes open. It showed that the process of sneezing, which involves many muscles of the abdomen, chest, diaphragm, vocal cords and throat, creates such a strong pressure that if the eyes are not closed, they can be damaged. The speed of air and particles flying out of the nasal passages when sneezing is more than 150 km/h. The process of closing the eyes is controlled by a special part of the brain. Moreover, scientists were able to discover the relationship between sneezing and a person’s character: those who sneeze secretly and quietly are pedants, patient and calm, while those who, on the contrary, sneeze loudly and loudly are typical enthusiasts with many friends and full of ideas. Only loners, decisive and demanding, independent and prone to leadership, sneeze quickly and without trying to restrain themselves.

Why do we yawn?

Breathing is sometimes associated with some unusual effects, such as yawning. Why do people yawn? The function of this process was not known for certain until recently. Various theories have suggested that yawning helps breathing by activating oxygen supply, but scientist Robert Provin conducted an experiment in which he disproved this theory by having subjects breathe different mixtures of gases. Another theory is that yawning when tired is a specific signal that synchronizes the biological clock of a group of people. That is why yawning is contagious, as it should set people up for a common daily routine. There is also a hypothesis that yawns, with their sharp movements of the jaws, cause increased blood circulation, which helps cool the brain. By applying a cold compress to the subjects' foreheads, the scientists significantly reduced the frequency of yawning. It is known that fetuses often yawn while still in the mother's womb: perhaps this helps them expand their lung capacity and develop articulation. Yawning also has an antidepressant-like effect, and yawns are often accompanied by a feeling of slight release.

Breath control

Breathing can be controlled and voluntary. Usually we don’t think about how exactly we need to inhale, and what it needs to be done at all; our body easily takes care of everything on its own and we can breathe even when we are unconscious. However, breathing may become difficult and we may begin to choke if, for example, we run very quickly. This also happens uncontrollably, and if you are not aware of your breathing at this moment, you will not be able to even it out.

There is also controlled breathing, with the help of which a person can remain calm, inhale air evenly and rhythmically, and with this help run tens of kilometers. One of the ways to learn to control your breathing is through special karate techniques or yoga exercises - pranayama.

Where are the dangers of breathing exercises?

Yogis warn that practicing pranayama, breathing yoga, without proper preparation can be dangerous. Firstly, during practice you need to keep your back straight in certain positions, that is, already master yoga asanas. Secondly, this breathing technique is so powerful that it can have a profound effect on the physical and emotional state of the body. In addition, there must be clean air in the place of practice, and a number of restrictions are imposed on the practitioner: you cannot practice pranayama under the age of 18, with high blood pressure, injuries, illnesses, etc.

There are other breathing practices that are potentially hazardous to health. For example, holotropic breathing, which suggests plunging into an altered state of consciousness through hyperventilation of the lungs - rapid breathing, which can cause many side effects, for example, brain hypoxia, and is highly not recommended for people with chronic cardiovascular diseases.

People have two of them: the left lung is divided into two lobes, the right - into three. They contain on average 300 to 500 million alveoli, in which gas exchange occurs.

The process of inhaling oxygen is divided into four main stages: ventilation, gas exchange in the lungs, gas transport and peripheral exchange. Each step is extremely important to ensure the supply of oxygen to the body tissues and the removal of carbon dioxide.

Ventilation and gas transport require energy, so these processes are facilitated by the diaphragm and heart, while gas exchange is passive. Air enters the lungs at a rate of 10-20 breaths per minute at rest through the mouth or nose, then, with the help of contractions of the diaphragm, passes the pharynx, larynx, goes down to the trachea and to one of the two bronchi. Mucus and cilia keep the lungs clean by catching dirt particles and sweeping them up toward the trachea.

When air reaches the lungs, oxygen diffuses into the blood through the alveoli, and carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the lungs and is subsequently exhaled. Diffusion of gases occurs due to different pressures in the lungs and blood. This is similar to how oxygen is supplied to tissues throughout the body.

When blood is oxygenated by the lungs, it is transported throughout the body to organs that need blood flow. If a person exercises, the rate of breathing increases and therefore the heart rate increases to ensure that oxygen reaches the tissues that need it.

Oxygen is then used to convert glucose into energy. This occurs in the mitochondria of cells. Carbon dioxide is one of the waste products, so this gas accumulates in the body for further transportation to the lungs and exhalation.

The body can also respire anaerobically, which requires much less energy. Instead of producing CO2, lactic acid is produced as a by-product. The body needs time to recover after the end of the load, as so-called oxygen starvation occurs.

An interesting and educational video about the lungs: Freedom and health for the lungs.

Useful for those who want to take care of their health

Top 5 facts about the human lungs

1. Lung capacity varies significantly. Depending on gender, body size, external factors such as height, lung volume ranges from 4000 to 6000 cm?.

2. The right lung is larger. The left lung is slightly smaller than the right lung because it needs to make room for the heart next to it to fit.

3. We have excess lung capacity. On average, only about one-eighth of our lung capacity is used for each breath, so we have a large amount of reserves.

4. Alveoli have a significant surface area. The total surface area of the alveoli of one person is about 70 m2. That's about half a tennis court!

5. We inhale 11,000 liters of air per day. On average, one person inhales 11,000 liters of air per day. If you are exposed to heavy physical activity during the day, this will lead to a significant increase.

The interesting thing is that people are not so attentive to their breathing.Breathing is closely related to the energy of our body, as well as to the metabolic processes occurring in the body. If a person breathes incorrectly, he may even harm himself. Since ancient times, yogis believed that the quality and duration of our life depended on the quality of our breathing, which is why a deep and detailed system of pranayama was developed ( an ancient esoteric yogi technique that teaches a person to control prana, free cosmic energy, through independent regulation of breathing) .

Miracles of Breathing

Is it possible to lose weight with breathing?

This question is often asked by women who have learned about the importance of proper breathing. Yes! The fact is that thanks to breathing according to the yoga system, metabolic processes in the body are harmonized, which, in particular, leads to weight normalization(i.e., fat people can lose excess weight, and thin people can gain weight). Of course, this is not some miracle of breathing, nor is it a magic formula; There may be other factors at play here. But even proper breathing itself (pranayama) can transform you in a positive way in a relatively short period of time.

Have we ever thought about how we breathe, and, in general, about the lungs?

The lungs have a surface area of approximately 100 square meters;
The air capacity during inhalation is greater in the right lung than in the left;
Every day an adult inhales 23,000 times and exhales the same number of times;
The ratio of the duration of inhalation to exhalation during normal breathing is 4:5, and when playing a wind musical instrument - 1:20;
Maximum breath holding is 7 minutes 1 second. During this time, an ordinary person must inhale and exhale more than a hundred times;
It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open;
On average, a person takes 1000 breaths per hour, 26,000 per day, and 9 million per year. Over the course of a lifetime, a woman inhales 746 million times, and a man 670.
By the way, the fight against snoring also has many interesting facts; in particular, it has been going on for 120 years. The first invention in this area was registered by the US Patent Office in 1874. During this time, more than 300 devices capable of combating snoring were patented. Some of them were put into mass production. For example, a self-contained electrical device attached to the ear was invented. It was a miniature microphone designed to determine the strength of the sound produced by snoring, and a feedback signal generator. When a person began to snore, he was awakened by the noise amplified by the device. Another inventor proposed attaching his device to a molar along with a connecting button. According to the author's plan, it should put pressure on the soft palate and prevent vibration that occurs during snoring. However, many of them remained in a single copy.

Take care of the gift of being a healthy person!

It is necessary to keep in mind that absolutely all vital processes of our body depend on breathing. This is why diseases of the human respiratory system are extremely dangerous and require the most serious approach to treatment. All manipulations should be aimed at complete recovery. Remember that such diseases cannot be neglected, since complications can even lead to death.

Nature has thought out everything to the smallest detail, and our goal is to preserve what is given to us, since the human body is a unique and unrepeatable world that requires careful treatment.

On Sunday, September 20, the Moscow Marathon will take place. For its participants, one of the keys to successfully completing the distance will be good breathing. Let's talk about her.

Lung capacity

The total volume of a person's lungs is approximately five liters, but the tidal volume is only 0.5 liters. The remaining volume is distributed as follows: 1.5 liters is the residual volume of air, and 3 liters is the reserve volume, half of which accounts for maximum exhalation, half for maximum inhalation.

Respiratory center

The respiratory center in humans is located in the medulla oblongata. It works automatically. Thanks to nerve impulses sent from the respiratory center, a person continues to breathe even in an unconscious state.

How much air do we need?

We require approximately 250 milliliters of oxygen per minute at rest; during physical activity, this figure increases 10 times. Without the transfer of oxygen from air to blood, which occurs in our lungs with the help of alveoli in contact with blood capillaries, the brain of an ordinary person will cease to function normally within five minutes due to the death of nerve cells.

How long do we breathe?

Every day an adult inhales approximately 23,000 times and exhales the same number of times.

Seasonal cycles

In spring, the respiratory rate is on average 1/3 higher than in autumn.

Man vs Animals

In most mammals, the respiratory cycle is directly related to motor activity; the diaphragm contracts during running. Therefore, the faster a dog runs, for example, the faster it breathes. Because of this, dogs simply cannot run for long distances. In addition, they sweat mainly through the mouth, whereas in humans it is through the skin of the entire body. It also gives the person a bonus in terms of stamina.

Stop breathing during meditation

Breathing spontaneously stops during phases of deep meditation. Such pauses can last from 20 seconds to 1 minute, indicating a state of extreme relaxation.

Alveoli

The adult lungs contain more than seven hundred million alveoli, an area more than fifty times the surface area of the human body.

Yawn

Various theories have explained yawning by saying that it aids breathing by activating oxygen supply. Another theory is that yawning when tired is a conditioned signal that synchronizes the biological clock of a group of people. That is why yawning is contagious, as it should set people up for a common daily routine.

There is also a hypothesis that yawns, with their sharp movements of the jaws, cause increased blood circulation, which helps cool the brain. By applying a cold compress to the subjects' foreheads, the scientists significantly reduced the frequency of yawning.

It is known that fetuses often yawn while still in the mother's womb: perhaps this helps them expand their lung capacity and develop articulation. Yawning also has an antidepressant-like effect, and yawns are often accompanied by a feeling of slight release.

Different lungs

The air capacity during inhalation is greater in the right lung than in the left

Lungs-stove

Soviet scientist of Austrian origin Karl Trincher once noticed that in laboratory animals, when there is a lack of oxygen, the temperature in the lungs increases. From here he made a brilliant conclusion: “The lungs are the only organ where fats, reacting with oxygen, are burned directly. Without any enzymes."

Today, physiologists no longer deny that the lungs are a “stove” that can warm the body in cold weather. Or rather, not to warm, but to keep warm, to resist the pathogenic dominance of the cold. Therefore, in the cold, you first need to monitor your breathing, breathe slowly, evenly and deeply.

Breath of a cornered dog

This is a term used by high-altitude physiologists to refer to the inevitable pathology of breathing high in the mountains. Breathing becomes fast and heavy. Due to shortness of breath, the climber retains only a third of the performance capacity he had at sea level. Due to hyperventilation, the level of carbon dioxide, which is very important for the functioning of internal organs, decreases in the blood. Respiratory alkalosis develops - a violation of the acid-base balance towards alkali, blood flow worsens, neuromuscular excitability increases up to the point of convulsions, there is a complete loss of appetite, not to mention dizziness. During sleep, a person suffers from so-called periodic breathing - apnea, known to everyone, which takes on especially acute forms at altitude. This causes insomnia, which aggravates the disease.

Two nostrils

Few people know that a person most often breathes only through one nostril - this occurs due to changing nasal cycles. One of the nostrils is the main one, and the other is an additional one, and then the right one or the left one plays the role of the leading one. The leading nostril changes every 4 hours, and during the nasal cycle, the blood vessels contract in the leading nostril and expand in the secondary nostril, increasing or decreasing the lumen through which air passes into the nasopharynx.

Computer apnea

One of the modern scourges is computer apnea, which occurs due to improper breathing. Scientists estimate that up to 80% of people who use computers may suffer from it. While working at a computer, a person may involuntarily hold his breath, concentrating on details that are important to him. At the same time, some people feel a little dizzy - these are the first signs of apnea. Restricted breathing during concentrated work causes an accelerated heart rate, dilated pupils and can lead to obesity and even diabetes. Doctors recommend monitoring your breathing while working at the computer.

Three breaths

To master full breathing, you need to understand its constituent parts. There are three types of breathing: upper, middle and lower. Top or shallow breathing, called clavicular breathing, is widespread. With it, only the ribs, shoulders, and collarbones rise, and only the upper part of the lungs breathes. But since this is only the smallest part of the lungs, little air passes into them. As a result, it turns out that with such breathing the greatest amount of energy is spent, but with the least result.

The second breath, the so-called middle, or internal breathing. Most non-sedentary people breathe this way. This breathing is somewhat better than the upper one, because... It also involves abdominal breathing a little, but fills only the middle part of the lungs with air.

Abdominal breathing is also called deep or diaphragmatic breathing. Most people breathe this way when lying down. Often a person takes a convulsive, spasmodic deep breath while in the open air. This is a so-called reflex movement, which is made by an organism starved for air.

In sports medicine, an indicator such as VO2max is used to calculate the endurance indicators of athletes. It characterizes the maximum amount of oxygen used and is calculated by subtracting the amount of oxygen exhaled from the amount of oxygen absorbed.

Because VO2max is used to quantify the capacity of the aerobic system, it is influenced by a large number of factors along the long pathway of oxygen from the environment to the mitochondria in the muscles.

The formula for calculating VO2max is: VO2max= Q x (CaO2-CvO2), where Q is cardiac output, CaO2 is the oxygen content in arterial blood, CvO2 is the oxygen content in venous blood.

Records

Snore

A snorer can have up to 500 pauses in breathing per night, meaning they won't be breathing for a total of about four hours, but they won't be able to remember it. Apnea causes a lack of oxygen in the blood, and people suffering from it constantly lack sleep and feel tired.

Lena Knyazeva - Between Us

Performance at the club “Isterika”

You are silent, your eyes are opposite, it’s so difficult for me to leave
When I leave I won’t turn around without telling you I’m sorry
And expose your face to the wind, the wind will definitely not betray you
And not to wait, not to call, not to believe - this was the first time.

Chorus:
There's just a breath between us
Inhale and exhale and there is no distance
Millimeters of silence for two
And a lost moment.

Make three wishes to yourself
I'll do them all goodbye
Just know, you are the sky's the limit
And for you I am an alluring magnet.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

The functions of metabolism and energy in the human body are taken over by the respiratory system, on the work of which our life depends. We studied a lot about the operation of this system at school, but such interesting facts about breathing many people still don’t know! Some people are completely inattentive to their breathing, but in vain. You should still familiarize yourself with some interesting points.