The respiratory system is the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe. The respiratory system is the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe.

The respiratory system has many functions. Besides helping you inhale (breathe in) and exhale (breathe out), it:

• Allows you to talk and to smell.

• Warms air to match your body temperature and moisturizes it to the humidity level your body needs.

• Delivers oxygen to the cells in your body.

• Removes waste gases, including carbon dioxide, from the body when you exhale.

• Protects your airways from harmful substances and irritants.

The respiratory system has many different parts that work together to help you breathe. Each group of parts has many separate components.

​What are the Parts of the Respiratory System?

• Mouth and nose: Openings that pull air from outside your body into your respiratory system.

• Sinuses: Hollow areas between the bones in your head that help regulate the temperature and humidity of the air you inhale.

• Pharynx (throat): Tube that delivers air from your mouth and nose to the trachea (windpipe).

• Trachea: Passage connecting your throat and lungs.

• Bronchial tubes: Tubes at the bottom of your windpipe that connect into each lung.

• Lungs: Two organs that remove oxygen from the air and pass it into your blood.

• Diaphragm: Muscle that helps your lungs pull in air and push it out.

• Ribs: Bones that surround and protect your lungs and heart.

​How do the lungs inhale

The lungs are a pair of spongy, air-filled organs located on either side of the chest (thorax). The trachea (windpipe) conducts inhaled air into the lungs through its tubular branches, called bronchi. The bronchi then divide into smaller and smaller branches (bronchioles), finally becoming microscopic.

The bronchioles eventually end in clusters of microscopic air sacs called alveoli. In the alveoli, oxygen from the air is absorbed into the blood. Carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, travels from the blood to the alveoli, where it can be exhaled.