The Lungs and the Diaphragm: Your Breathing Partners

 

What Are the Lungs?

Your lungs are spongy, balloon-like organs that fill up with air when you breathe in. They are the main place where gas exchange happens—oxygen from the air enters your blood, and carbon dioxide leaves your blood to be exhaled.

 

What is the Diaphragm?

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located beneath your lungs. It’s like a flexible floor for your chest and plays a major role in helping you breathe by changing the size of your chest cavity.

 

How Do the Lungs and Diaphragm Work Together?

Inhaling (Breathing In):

1. The diaphragm contracts and moves down.
2. This makes the chest cavity bigger, creating more space.
3. Air gets sucked into the lungs because of the lower pressure inside the chest.

Exhaling (Breathing Out):

1. The diaphragm relaxes and moves up.
2. This makes the chest cavity smaller, squeezing the lungs.
3. Air is pushed out as pressure inside the chest increases.

Think of it like a pump: The diaphragm is the handle that moves up and down to draw air in and out.

 

Key Differences Between Inhaling and Exhaling

Action	Diaphragm Movement	Chest Space	Air Movement
Inhaling	Contracts (moves down)	Increases	Air moves in
Exhaling	Relaxes (moves up)	Decreases	Air moves out

 

The Role of Pressure

Breathing works because of pressure changes inside your chest.

• When the diaphragm moves down, the pressure in your chest becomes lower than outside, so air is sucked in.
• When the diaphragm moves up, the pressure becomes higher than outside, so air is pushed out.