Eli5: How does sucking in air through your nose work exactly?

Question

Eli5: How does sucking in air through your nose work exactly?

In: Biology

Answer 1

It works in the same way as breathing in through your mouth does. In both cases, your diaphragm contracts, which expands your lungs. This causes the air to “rush in” due to the lower pressure in your lungs (compared to the atmosphere).

Think of it like a syringe. When you pull on a syringe, the inside gets bigger but there’s the same amount of stuff inside, so the air “rushes in” to “fill up” the space.

The opposite applies to breathing out. You diaphragm relaxes, and the air “rushes out” of your lungs like a balloon.