What is the airway?
Airway refers to the tube that allows air to pass in and out of the body. This tube starts at the voice box (larynx) and branches into many tiny little tubes in the lungs. Each tube ends as a tiny “bubble” called an alveolus, where air (oxygen) is transferred into the blood and carbon dioxide is released. How do we breathe? Through the airway, we move in air (inhale) from the environment to the lungs. Inhaling involves the use of breathing (respiratory) muscles. This inhaled air is rich in oxygen (a gas that our body needs to function). Oxygen is then transferred from the lungs into the bloodstream and is exchanged with a “waste” gas (carbon dioxide) that we then breathe out (exhale). We can get more oxygen into our bodies by breathing faster (increase the respiratory rate) or by taking a larger breath by using the respiratory muscles. Although we can control the amount of air we breathe voluntarily, the amount of oxygen our body needs at any given time is also registered in the brain
