nose and mouth
Usually, you breathe in and out through your nose. Little hairs inside of your nose, called cilia, keep particles like dust, dirt, and germs from getting into your lungs. Mucus also helps trap these particles, and keeps your nose from drying out. When too much dirt gets into your nose, you sneeze. Sneezing is your body's natural way of removing unwanted particles from your system.
But your nose does more than just trap dirt and dust! Your nose is full of tiny little blood vessels that help warm and moisten the air you breathe to prepare it for your body. |
You can also breathe through your mouth. Since your mouth is bigger, it can let in more air. This is helpful when you are sick or exercising, but breathing through your mouth can also cause health problems. There are no cilia in your mouth, so nothing blocks out all of the unhealthy dirt and dust particles, which means you are more likely to get sick. The mouth is also too big to heat up the air before it enters your lungs, which makes it harder for the body to use.
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Listen to Sarah talk about breathing, and answer the following questions with a friend next to you: What gas is inhaled when you breath? Where does it go? What gas is exhaled? |
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