Breathing involves some important muscles that work together. Here’s a simple breakdown of those muscles and what they do:
Diaphragm: This is the main muscle used for breathing in. It helps pull air into our lungs, doing about 70% of the work. When the diaphragm tightens, it makes the space in the chest bigger and lets air flow in. It helps drop the air pressure from around to .
Intercostal Muscles: There are two types of intercostal muscles. The external intercostals help us breathe in, while the internal intercostals help us breathe out forcefully. Together, these muscles help with the remaining 30% of our lung capacity.
Accessory Muscles: These muscles kick in when we need to breathe harder, like during exercise. This includes muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles. They really help us get more air in when we’re under stress.
When these muscles work together, we can take in about of air with each breath when we're resting.
Breathing involves some important muscles that work together. Here’s a simple breakdown of those muscles and what they do:
Diaphragm: This is the main muscle used for breathing in. It helps pull air into our lungs, doing about 70% of the work. When the diaphragm tightens, it makes the space in the chest bigger and lets air flow in. It helps drop the air pressure from around to .
Intercostal Muscles: There are two types of intercostal muscles. The external intercostals help us breathe in, while the internal intercostals help us breathe out forcefully. Together, these muscles help with the remaining 30% of our lung capacity.
Accessory Muscles: These muscles kick in when we need to breathe harder, like during exercise. This includes muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles. They really help us get more air in when we’re under stress.
When these muscles work together, we can take in about of air with each breath when we're resting.