Create an animated lesson
On requestThis article is free to read. Creating a lesson uses your daily or stored credits; review the language and settings before starting.
How does breathing work?
Quick answer
Breathing works by moving air in and out of your lungs so your body can take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. A muscle below the lungs, the diaphragm, contracts to pull air in and relaxes to push it out.
Step by step
- The diaphragm contracts and flattens, expanding the chest to draw air in.
- Air fills tiny sacs (alveoli) in the lungs.
- Oxygen passes into the blood; carbon dioxide passes out.
- Relaxing the diaphragm pushes the used air back out.
- Your brainstem controls the rhythm automatically.
People also ask
What happens to air in the lungs?
In tiny sacs called alveoli, oxygen crosses into the blood and carbon dioxide moves out to be exhaled — a swap called gas exchange.
What muscle controls breathing?
Mainly the diaphragm, a dome of muscle below the lungs; it contracts to pull air in and relaxes to let it out, helped by rib muscles.
Why do you breathe faster when exercising?
Working muscles use more oxygen and make more carbon dioxide, so your body speeds breathing to supply and clear them faster.
Part of the guide: How Your Body Works →