The Lungs

Our lungs, like the kidneys, come in a pair of two. They are spongy, air-filled organs that can be found within the left and right side of our chest cavity, just above the diaphragm.

In between the lungs, you can find the trachea (windpipe). This serves as a guided passage way for the air that we breath to enter the lungs. Once here, the air travels through the bronchial tubes, one entering each lung and further more into each lobe.

From there, the air goes through smaller vessels called the bronchioles, which eventually turn into small, microscopic air sacs known as the alveoli. This is where the air from our breathe finally meets with our blood.

Time and time again, one may hear the saying, “Breathe is life”.
This is correct.

Breathe is life.

The lungs play a critical role in our survival, without them, we wouldn’t be.

Our lungs provide a place for gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide to take place, and this exchange is how we function. The oxygen from our breathe travels through the lungs until it hits the alveoli and is diffused into our blood. It is then carried throughout to the cells of the body.

Once at its host cell, the oxygen is exchanged with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is carried back to the lungs by the bloodstream, where it is then exhaled from the body.

The relationship between stress and the lungs is still an area that researchers are spending time to explore more in-depth

We all know that during the activation of the stress response, the lungs are directed to expand, allowing for an uptake in oxygen. The body does this to gather the amount of oxygen it needs to properly carry out all of the physiological responses that come from the activation of the stress response.

When chronically activated, one has to think about how the lungs are demanded to function at a higher rate than it would during periods of homeostasis.

For those who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or any other lung ailment, such as asthma, chronic activation of the stress response can have a larger impact than those without.

An article shared by the Centers For Respiratory Health discussed how the stress response has the ability to spark a flare-up of whatever lung condition one has due to the inability to breath deep during times of lung expansion. When one tries to breath deep to allow the lungs to expand, they will be limited to the amount of air that is able to come in due to the pre-existing inflammation within the walls of the lungs.

Stress strokes inflammation levels, and for those who already suffer from lung ailments, it is the last thing one would want. Even for the ones whose lungs function just fine, chronic stress can leave your lungs having to work overtime in making sure you are receiving enough oxygen.