Breathing easily is something that most people take for granted. We usually inhale and exhale without even thinking about it, but the moment you can’t get enough air, like, during an asthma attack, it becomes very clear just how important breathing is. So, why do we need to breathe?
We use energy in order to do literally everything: sit, stand, think, blink… everything! Energy doesn’t just come directly from food, it needs to be converted in the body to a usable format, called ATP. The process by which we convert food to energy is called cellular respiration, and it requires oxygen from the air we breathe. There are two by-products of making ATP: water, which we use in the body, and carbon dioxide, which we exhale through the lungs. Without this exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs, we couldn’t convert food to energy.
We are constantly breathing in pollution, viruses and toxins, so the body has a natural defence system to help clean and repair the lungs and fight potential infections. The lungs are lined with mucous that traps foreign particles. We have cilia (tiny finger-like projections) that move mucous upward so that we can expel it from the body. Think of it like a mucous escalator that’s constantly working to keep the lungs clean.
NPN: 80096884
