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Respiratory System
The respiratory system is a group of organs, muscles, and tissues that help the
body to breathe. The muscles of the respiratory system power the lungs. The exchange
of gases between the air and our blood is fueled by this system. The oxygen we need to
survive helps to fuel cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is the process by which our
bodies obtain glucose from glucose. This is also how the body produces carbon dioxide,
a waste gas. The respiratory system is also responsible for getting rid of carbon dioxide.
The cells of the body use the oxygen we breathe and then those same cells
produce carbon dioxide to release into the bloodstream. The carbon dioxide is carried to
the lungs and then exhaled. This gas exchange is an obvious way that helps to maintain
our bodies homeostasis. This is one the obvious ways that the respiratory system
contributes to homeostasis, but the respiratory system contributes to our equilibrium in
other ways as well.
The acid-base balance in our body is maintained by the gas exchange that
occurs in our lungs. If our pH level is too high, this causes increased respiration. This
helps to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our blood. The opposite is true when
the blood is too alkaline. This in turn will slow the breathing and increase the carbon
dioxide in the body making the pH lower. This is an important part of maintaining our
body’s pH.
The respiratory system contributes to temperature regulation. This may be
surprising because it does not seem like something this system would contribute to.
Exhalation is one of the ways the human body dissipates excess heat. The air that
