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The Respiratory System

The branches of science that will help you understand the body parts and
functions are anatomy and physiology. Anatomy deals with the study of the
human body (the component parts, structure and position) and physiology the
study of how the body functions.

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The body comprises of a number of systems including the: Cardiovascular

system, Digestive system, Endocrine system, Muscular system, Neurological
system, Respiratory system and the Skeletal system.

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Skeletal System
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TheRespiratorySystem
The respiratory system comprises of the nose, mouth, throat, larynx, trachea,
bronchi and lungs. The function of the respiratory system is to facilitate
gaseous exchange to take place in the lungs and tissue cells of the body.
Oxygen is required by cells in the body to allow various metabolic reactions to
take place and to produce energy and is therefore essential to life.
The respiratory system may be defined as the organs and tissues through
which air is passed into and out of the body to allow the necessary gaseous
exchanges to take place.
External respiration is the means by which oxygen from the air passes into the
blood stream for transportation to the tissue cells and carbon dioxide is
collected and transferred back to the lungs and expelled from the body.

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Internal respiration involves the vital chemical activities that take place in
every living cell requiring oxygen and glycogen to combine and release
energy, water and carbon dioxide.

Organsoftherespiratorysystem

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The normal rate of inspiration and expiration, the respiration rate, is about 16
times a minute in an adult. Breathing is controlled by specialized centres in
the brainstem, which automatically regulate the rate and depth of breathing
depending on the level of carbon dioxide in the blood.

A-VO2diff
Arterio-venous oxygen difference (A-VO2 diff) is the difference between
oxygen concentration in the arteries and the oxygen concentration in the
veins.

CompositionofAir
The composition of the air that we breath in and out is approximately as
follows:
Breathed In

Gas

Breathed Out

20.94%

Oxygen

17%

78.08%

Nitrogen

78%

0.04%

Carbon Dioxide

4%

0.94%

Tracer Gases

1%

HaemoglobinandMyoglobin
Haemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells which enables the cells to carry
oxygen and myoglobin is an oxygen-binding protein found in heart and
skeletal muscles.

Effectofexerciseontherespiratorysystem
In the Cardiovascular system, the benefits of exercise were discussed in
relation to the improved functioning of the heart and the lowering of blood

pressure. Combined with increased maximum oxygen consumption (VO2

max), or lung capacity, these are all vital contributors to being fit and healthy.
An athlete who has not properly trained their cardiovascular system is likely to
incur other injuries more easily by the rapid onset of fatigue and the
consequent lowering of motivation and mental awareness. For anyone
competing at varying altitudes, they must allow themselves a considerable
period to acclimatise before an event. Even climbing to a moderate altitude
decreases the maximum uptake by 7% to 8% due to the change in
atmospheric pressure. This decrease in oxygen being supplied to the muscles
may decrease performance by 4 to 8% depending on the duration of
competition, a considerable disadvantage at the finish line.
Even the athlete who prepares and acclimatises well may still not match
natives of high altitude areas such as the Andes, who have a larger chest
capacity, more alveoli, larger capillary beds and higher red blood cell count.
Since people may suffer from altitude sickness when moving from low to high
altitudes, sufficient time must also be allowed for these symptoms to
disappear before starting intensive training.

RelatedReferences
The following references provide additional information on this topic:
DEMPSEY, J. A. et al. (2012) Respiratory System Limitations to
Performance in the Healthy Athlete: Some Answers, More
Questions!. Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Sportmedizin, 63 (6), p. 157-162
IONESCU, C. M. (2013) The human respiratory system: an analysis of
the interplay between anatomy, structure, breathing and fractal
dynamics. Springer

PageReference
If you quote information from this page in your work then the reference for
this page is:
MACKENZIE, B. (2001) Physiology - Respiratory System [WWW]
Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/physiolr.htm [Accessed
24/10/2016]

RelatedPages
The following Sports Coach pages provide additional information on this topic:

Articles on Anatomy & Physiology

Books on Physiology
Cardiovascular System
Digestive System
Endocrine System
Muscular System
Neurological System
Respiratory System
Skeletal System
VO2 max

AdditionalSourcesofInformation
For further information on this topic see the following:

 BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1996) Advanced Studies in Physical

Education and Sport. UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1997) The World of Sport Examined. UK:
Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BIZLEY, K. (1994) Examining Physical Education. Oxford; Heinemann
Educational Publishers
DAVIS, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the Study of Sport. UK:
Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
GALLIGAN, F. et al. (2000) Advanced PE for Edexcel. Oxford;
Heinemann Educational Publishers
McARDLE, W. et al. (2000) Essentials of Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
TORTORA, G and ANAGNOSTAKOS, N. (1990) Principles of Anatomy and
Physiology. 6th ed. USA; Harper Collins Publishers
STONE, R. and STONE, J. (1997) Atlas of Skeletal Muscles. 2nd Ed.
USA; The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.
BLAKEY, P. (1992) The Muscle Book. UK; Bibiotek Books Ltd.

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