- Twenty-four hours a day, our bodies conduct a rhythmic process that oftentimes, we are not even aware of. The involuntary reflex of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide is necessary to keep our cells healthy and able to produce energy. This necessary process is known as breathing and all living creatures must do it to survive. Your diaphragm, lungs, trachea, red blood cells and heart all work together in a harmonious balance to perform the act of breathing. Even if you try to control how you breathe, this delicate system has the power to override your attempts to keep the process running smoothly.
- Take a moment, and focus on your breathing. You will notice that as you breathe air in through your nose and mouth, your stomach tightens on the inhale. This is because your abdomen and diaphragm muscles, also known as the core, squeeze together to make extra room for your lungs to fill up with the freshly breathed air. The air travels into your nose, down your windpipe and into your lungs that now have plenty of room to expand, thanks to your core muscles. Keeping these muscles strong and toned with abdominal exercise will help to ensure proper breathing and plenty of room for your expanding lungs.
- Well-conditioned lungs are just as important as a strong core. Cardio exercise is a perfect way to keep your lungs healthy and protect the breathing process. As your heart beat increases during cardio exercise, so does the breathing process, strengthening your lungs. Blood pumps through your veins and arteries and meets up with the tiny sacs, or alveoli, in your lungs that hold the air. That is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide come into play. The red blood cells drop off the carbon dioxide produced by the other cells in your body, and pick up fresh oxygen and transport it back through your system. This is a never ending process that continues on for as long as an organism is alive.
- So what happens if the air that you breathe is not healthy or free of toxins? That is where the cleaning process comes in. Your lungs are lined with little hairs, also known as cilia, and glands that form mucus. As unclean air, such as dust particles, smoke or other allergens pass through the lungs, the mucus traps these intruders and the cilia helps to rid the dirty mucus from your lungs by pushing it up through your throat and out of your mouth, so it can be removed from your system.
- There are certain health scenarios that may cause breathing to be difficult for some people. Asthma sufferers must battle a chronic disease that leaves their airways swollen, making it a challenge for air to pass through into the lungs. Although there is no cure for asthma, there are medications that can control the symptoms and make breathing easier. Other problems, such as anxiety, can interfere with breathing and make it an uphill battle.
- Even though there may be obstacles that may impede the body's ability to breathe, the struggle will continue for as long a person remains in existence. The body needs oxygen to stay alive, and where there is no oxygen, there is no life.
