Lungs

Your lungs are your main organs for breathing. They are made up of spongy tissues that contain tiny
air sacs called alveoli. Your lungs are located in the chest cavity. Your rib cage protects the lungs. Your
lungs are the vital organs for respiration. This means that their main function is for breathing, a
continuous pattern of taking in oxygen to the body and releasing carbon dioxide from the body. In
other words, the lungs facilitate inhalation (breathing in) and exhalation (breathing out) of air.
Breathing starts with the entry of air in the nose. From the nose, air passes through the different parts
of the respiratory system such as the nasal, cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi, before it
finally reaches the lungs. When you breathe, there is a continuous gas exchange in the lungs,
specifically in the alveoli. This continuous cycle of the entry and utilization of oxygen in the body and
releasing of carbon dioxide is called respiratory cycle. You will be amazed to learn that you breathe
about 12 to 15 times every minute, taking in approximately 6 liters of air within the period. The
maximum amount of air that you can exhale after a deep breath is your vital capacity. What would
happen if your lungs stop working? You would stop breathing and you would be unconscious after
just 4 or 5 minutes. Then, 7 to 10 minutes later, your brain would be damaged due to lack of supply of
oxygen. After 10 minutes of being deprived of oxygen supply in the brain. You would surely die.