Breathing is the process of moving air in and out of the lungs, while respiration is the process of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide between the body and the environment.
What is breathing?
Breathing is the process of inhaling and exhaling air.
When we breathe, air moves in and out of our lungs. This movement of air is caused by pressure differences between the inside and outside of our lungs. The pressure difference is created by the contraction and relaxation of the muscles that surround our lungs. When we inhale, our muscles contract and cause our chest cavity to expand. This increases the volume of our lungs and decreases the pressure inside them. This decrease in pressure causes air to rush into our lungs. When we exhale, our muscles relax and our chest cavity decreases in size. This increase in pressure causes air to be forced out of our lungs.
What is respiration?
The process of respiration occurs when oxygen from the air we breathe diffuses into our blood and is carried to our cells. At the same time, carbon dioxide diffuses from our blood into the alveoli (air sacs) of our lungs and is exhaled.
Respiration is the process of exchanging gases between the air and the blood. This process happens in the lungs and is essential for life. The oxygen that we breathe in is taken up by the blood and delivered to the cells of the body where it is used in cellular respiration to produce energy. The carbon dioxide that is produced by the cells is then carried back to the lungs where it is exhaled.
Breathing and respiration are not the same
There are two types of respiration: Aerobic respiration and Anaerobic respiration. aerobic respiration requires oxygen, while anaerobic respiration does not.
Breathing is a voluntary process that we control, while respiration is an involuntary process that happens automatically. We can choose to hold our breath, but our bodies will continue to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide regardless.
During exercise, our breathing rate increases to supply more oxygen to our muscles. However, even at rest, our bodies still need to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is where diffusion comes in. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
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